Latest news with #BacarySagna
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Premier League star Bacary Sagna on playing through grief
Former Arsenal and Manchester City star Bacary Sagna has urged Liverpool players to properly process the death of Diogo Jota by speaking to someone about their grief. Liverpool striker Jota died in a car crash on July 3. He was 28. His brother, André Silva – who was also a professional soccer player – also died in the car accident at the age of 25. Sagna, who played 65 times for the France national team, knows more than most how a death of a loved one can impact the ability to focus on soccer. Early into his spell at Arsenal, Sagna's brother died in 2008. He's been telling CNN's Senior Sports Analyst, Darren Lewis, how he learned to live with grief.
CNA
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Gilberto Silva, Bacary Sagna: Arsenal Legends on CNA938
As part of the Singapore Festival of Football, football team Arsenal is in Singapore and will play friendly matches against Italian side AC Milan and fellow English Premier League outfit Newcastle United at the National Stadium. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman caught up with Arsenal Legends Gilberto Silva and Bacary Sagna, on the football culture and life after their time on the pitch.
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Arsenal star shares warning over Liverpool's Diogo Jota grief - 'My brain was not here'
Bacary Sagna lost his brother when he was playing for Arsenal in 2008 and has told the Reds said: 'I advise them to speak up. This is something I didn't do and it had an impact on me, so I know how it feels.' Bacary Sagna knows from painful experience just how difficult it is to even attempt to play football after losing a loved one. The Frenchman tried and failed after his older brother, Omar, died a day before his 28th birthday in February 2008. So Sagna has massive sympathy for the Liverpool players who will attempt to focus their minds on sport after losing Diogo Jota, earlier this month. 'We are human beings first,' said the ex-Arsenal and Manchester City defender. 'We spend more time with our fellow players than we spend with our own wives and kids. So its going to be difficult. I don't see them performing as well as they did last season because first of all they were Champions - and to reproduce that level of performance back to back is difficult. 'But much more importantly, after losing someone dear at the club, a brother, I want to call him, I can't see it. 'So I have big, big support for his family, for his entourage, for his wife and kids and for Liverpool football club. It is not easy.' Portuguese forward Jota and his brother Andre were killed in a car accident in north west Spain on July 3. His grieving Liverpool team-mates are back in pre-season, preparing to fulfil their sporting obligations through their tears when the new Premier League season kicks off next month. Sagna wishes he prioritised therapy and emotional stability instead of continuing to play. 'I lost brother in 2008 when I was at Arsenal,' he said. 'It was my second season. 'My brain was not here. I started making mistakes. Schoolboy mistakes. To control the ball was difficult. My brain was in slow motion. 'So some of the players might come and be in the same mindset. They might not have their heads into football because they will constantly think about it. 'In the dressing room one space will be free. Lunchtime, one space will be free. On the bus, one space will be free. So, I clearly advise them to speak up. This is something I didn't do and it had an impact on me, so I know how it feels.' Liverpool's commitment to the mental health of their players and staff remains second to none. A city used to dealing with trauma has wrapped its arms around a club in mourning. With Jota counting Wolves among his former clubs, Sagna believes the emotion will be felt way beyond Anfield when the Premier League returns. 'I think it will have an impact on football in general,' he went on. 'On the Premier League, on players' approach to the game and on the way the players will get back into their training sessions. 'Because as a human being he was loved. Respected also.' Sagna believes counselling will be key as Liverpool's players and staff try to make sense of it all. 'One hundred percent,' he added. 'It might be a case of 'We're fine' but you need to process it. You need to open up about it. The mistake I made was to try to avoid talking about it. I was getting upset but it was a mistake - you have to let things out before you can even perform and let your football out. 'I was personally lucky because we had at the time a psychologist with the Arsenal team. When I lost my brother my dad called me unexpectedly. I remember we had a game, a Champions League second leg tie against AC Milan at home. 'I went back to France and I was just shocked. I was not even crying much. I felt like I was in the Matrix. I didn't know what was happening. I was shocked. My brain was paralysed. I couldn't think any more. I was going to go to the funeral but my dad advised me to come back because having that social pressure would have been difficult. So I didn't go to the funeral, my family went. I came back to Arsenal. "Arsene Wenger was very supportive, the club and the players too. But when I got back I got injured, against Chelsea. Nobody had tackled me. I think it was all related because the clearance I was making as I picked up the injury, I'd made it many times. But on that occasion I got injured. It was to do with my mental state. 'I had the feeling that I went from the best right back in the league to average. Then you had the judgement of people who didn't know. But how could they know? I didn't explain, I didn't speak out. But one day the club psychologist came to my room. He asked if he could come in and I let him. 'We sat on the bed and I'm like: 'Are you okay??' It was me asking the questions instead of the other way around! 'He said: 'The reason I'm coming to see you is that I can see you have an empty look.' I was like: 'What do you mean?' He said: 'I've been overseeing you for some time. You are here but you are not here.' I was like: 'But why would you say that?' 'I then learned a lot about myself. I was operating like a machine. I was leaving home, going to training sessions but I could not even tell you how I got there. He explained what a psychologist does and how I could identify myself as a human being, how I can remember the past and turn it into positives. 'So I believe the players at Liverpool can try and do the same. It is so important.' Sagna's breakthrough was all the more important because of the cultural barriers that had stopped him from discussing his private life outside his immediate circle. 'Its funny because I was against psychologists,' he went on. 'So when people suggested I go to one I was like: 'Listen guys, do you want me to go and face a stranger and tell him my story? He doesn't know me!' 'Why would I open up to a stranger that studied and learned from a book? 'That was my answer. But I can guarantee you will feel the love. Because they give you love, they understand you. Its an open book. We talk about life, we talk about many things and most importantly, I felt a relief. I felt lighter. 'I asked myself why I didn't go earlier! But I didn't have the courage. I didn't measure the importance of speaking up. But they meet so many people. They hear so many stories. Its really important.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CNN
17-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Liverpool players should ‘open up' about Diogo Jota's death, urges former Premier League star
Former Arsenal and Manchester City star Bacary Sagna has urged Liverpool players to properly process the death of Diogo Jota by speaking to someone about their grief. Sagna, who spent a decade playing in the English Premier League, told CNN Sports that Liverpool players may struggle to focus on the upcoming season with their teammate missing from the squad. Reds striker Jota died in a car crash on July 3 at the age of 28. His brother, André Silva – who was also a professional soccer player – also died in the car accident aged 25. Many of those in the current Liverpool team, including captain Virgil van Dijk and left back Andy Robertson, traveled to Portugal to attend Jota's funeral earlier this month, before the squad returned for preseason training. 'They will constantly think about it,' Sagna said. 'Because in the dressing room, one space will be free. At lunch time, one space will be free. In the bus, one space will be free, so I clearly advise them to speak up.' He added: 'We are human beings first. We spend more time with the players than we spend with the whole family, so it's just crazy. It's hard to explain why and how it happened, but unfortunately, you have to move on, and you have to try to cope with it, but it's going to be difficult.' Sagna, who played 65 times for the France national team, knows more than most how a death of a loved one can impact the ability to focus on soccer. Early into his spell at Arsenal, Sagna's brother died in 2008. He said the news sent him into 'shock' and his brain felt 'paralyzed' by not knowing what to do, where to turn or who to talk to. Sagna went back to France for a week, but quickly decided to return to Arsenal after being advised by his father. It was the defender's second season with the club but he could no longer focus on his job, finding himself coasting through training sessions and matches. He said it would only be natural for Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champion, to experience some sort of drop off when the new league season starts on August 15. 'My brain was not there. It's my second season. I start doing mistakes, like schoolboy mistakes. To control the ball was difficult. My brain was in slow motion,' Sagna said, explaining how he struggled after the death of his brother. 'So some of the (Liverpool) players might come and be in the same mindset. They might not have their head into football because they will constantly think about it.' From his own experience, Sagna understands why speaking to a counselor about grief can be intimidating. He was initially against it, not allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of a stranger who had 'studied and learned from books.' But after being approached by Arsenal's then sports psychologist, the 42-year-old now advocates for people, notably men, to speak about how they're feeling. Sagna told CNN Sports that the counseling allowed him to redefine himself as a human being first, not just a soccer player. That shift in framing then allowed him to properly start processing his feelings. 'We talked about life, we talked about many things, and most importantly, I felt a relief,' he said. 'I felt light after this, and I was like, 'Why didn't I go and open up earlier?' I didn't have the courage. I didn't measure the importance of speaking up. 'I was thinking he cannot understand me, but they meet so many people, they hear so many stories. There is data, we were talking about the data. The words will be a release, so it's really important.' He added: 'I can remember the past and turn it into positive, so I believe the players at Liverpool should maybe try and do the same.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Former Arsenal star questions Martin Odegaard's captaincy after PSG defeat - as he suggests Gunners skipper 'isn't as efficient as before'
A former Arsenal star has questioned Martin Odegaard 's captaincy at Arsenal in the wake of their Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners, under the leadership of the midfielder, have failed to win a trophy once again this season, with those hopes coming to an end after their loss in Paris on Wednesday evening. Elsewhere, they were knockout of the Carabao Cup in the semi-finals, while they suffered an earlier defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the FA Cup. In the Premier League, Liverpool have already been crowned champions. A number of fans and pundits have had theories over why the Gunners have fallen short for another season, with injuries and a lack of a natural No 9 seemingly contributing to their struggles. Few, though, have questioned Odegaard. The Norwegian remain his side's chief creator, but has struggled for form since returning from injury earlier on this season. Ex-Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna, though, has claimed Odegaard hasn't been deserving of his place as captain recently - even though he wouldn't want to take the armband away from him. 'It's a tricky one because Martin Odegaard hasn't been playing well this season,' Sagna, who played for the Gunners between 2007 and 2014, said, via the Mirror. 'Although sometimes there's more behind it. I don't care too much about personal situations but his influence in the club will decrease. 'I don't think the issue is due to the captaincy. Captaincy is given to a player who has good qualities and a strong personality. However, the way the games have been going – I don't think he has been [a strong enough leader]. He isn't as efficient as before. 'If you play without a number nine, it's much more difficult because the captain must organise the game and a lot of the time, he is standing by himself. There is nobody to assist in front of him. I would not remove captaincy from him because he remains a top player.' The Gunners will likely look to invest in the summer, adding to their squad as they look to either win their first Premier League title since 2004 or first-ever Champions League title. It was a hurt squad after the PSG loss, Odegaard said after the game, as he admitted side side weren't worthy of as spot in the final over their two semi-final legs. 'We gave it a proper go,' he said. 'We started the game really well. We were on the front foot, had the momentum, a few big chances but in the end it wasn't enough. 'Between the boxes we did well, inside the two over the two games we weren't good enough. Credit to their goalkeeper who made amazing saves. It wasn't enough and that's painful.'
