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Former Manchester United Women star Irene Guerrero has revealed that she used to cry in the bathroom during training sessions at the club.
Guerrero permanently left United in the summer to join Club América Femenil.
She arrived at United in the summer of 2023, off the back of Spain’s triumph in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Her start to life at the club was hampered by a knee injury she suffered, causing her to miss the first part of the season.
When she returned, Guerrero found minutes hard to come by, only managing seven appearances across all competitions. Only one of these came as a start.
In an interview with Marca [via Morning Star], Guerrero admitted that she struggled mentally while at United due to the limited playing time.
She said, “I did everything in my power to get a chance, but when the weeks go by and you don’t get it, you see how small you are. When I returned to training in January [after the injury], I had minutes in some games between January and March, but then there is a period where I don’t play at all.”
“I fully understand that a coach may like one profile of player more than another and that’s absolutely fine, but being denied the opportunity to show your level or potential and then see if it fits into your game model or not …”
“It was difficult for me to accept at that time. I asked myself. ‘Why are you coming to sign me, pay a transfer fee and give a player in exchange if you don’t count on me later?’ Mentally reconciling that was not easy. The support I had from my family and my partner helped me to see the positive side and get down to work. When I hit rock bottom I started to approach it in a different way.”
She added, “I had moments of weakness, of not understanding why I had left a place where I was doing well and believed I could compete to go to a club where they were denying me as a footballer. I learned another facet of football, but I took with me very good team-mates who made me feel at home and an experience that forges you as a person and as an athlete.”
“I remember days when, halfway through training, I had to go into the bathroom to cry, wash my face and come out as if nothing had happened. I tried not to let anyone notice and not to affect the team, but I had a very important, very hard mental limit.”
“I also went through moments of sending everything to hell, especially when I got home and said to my partner, ‘I want to go home, I don’t want to be here. I’m not enjoying myself, I’m not happy and I feel like everything I’ve sacrificed to come to another country is not worth it. The reward for the effort and work I’m doing on a day-to-day basis is zero.’”
The 27-year-old explained that she focused on working harder, training with the team and going to the gym.
According to Guerrero, she wanted to be strong both mentally and physically, in an effort to prove that she wasn’t defeated.