'I was going crazy' — Gravenberch opens up about nightmare spell at Bayern

Ryan Gravenberch revealed his mental struggles following his 2022 transfer to Bayern Munich, describing the move as a nightmare. According to his father, the midfielder was on the verge of depression.

Gravenberch played a key role under Arne Slot as Liverpool secured the Premier League title. However, he is only now sharing his story about the disastrous year at Bayern, where he only started three Bundesliga games in his debut season.

In an interview with Helden Magazine, the midfielder opened up about his experience: "I was going crazy in my head. Thankfully, my parents moved to Munich because of me. I don't know what would have happened if I had been there alone...it was mentally very tough."

Gravenberch's father, also named Ryan, believes his son would have succumbed to depression if he'd been alone in Munich:

"I think if we hadn't been there with him, he would have fallen into depression."

During this challenging period, the Dutchman won the league with Bayern, but still felt unfulfilled. "I was happy that we were champions, but my contribution was small. We were there as champions, but I didn't feel like a champion. It was a very different feeling from all the other times I'd won trophies," he recalled.

The Dutch international, who played under Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern, explained why he "started to go crazy" under the German coach: "I spent three consecutive games watching my team from the bench for 90 minutes. That's when I started to go crazy in my head. By winter, I was fed up. In the last two months of the season, under Thomas Tuchel, I got more playing time than in the entire previous period."

"I remember well how I felt at Bayern, but I know I got out of that hole. And that's what I'm proud of," he emphasized. He has since found the happiness and playing time he sought at Liverpool, who paid €40 million for him in 2023.