Alex Iwobi, a Nigerian midfielder for Everton, has stated that most young Black men are experiencing trauma that they are unable to express for fear of being perceived as weak, glamsquad reports.
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During an exhibition in London to raise awareness about mental health, Iwobi urged men to always open up and express their vulnerable side, commenting on how moving from Arsenal to Everton and then failing to qualify for the World Cup impacted him.
He stated;
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“Don’t be afraid to be exposed.
“I believe it is something within men, particularly Black men, because society is conditioned to believe that doing so is weak. There is nothing wrong with being vulnerable.
“It’s just life, and there’s so much trauma in young Black men [you learn] that if you just talked about it, you’d be able to navigate it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with telling people, ‘I’m not fine in the world.'” I’m just not in the right frame of mind.’
“Playing football is a big one because you’re not dealing with the issue at hand; it’s still there and you can get away from it, but it’s still there.”