ARSENAL star Lucas Torreira has admitted he wanted to quit football after his mum tragically passed away from Covid-19 in March.
The 25-year-old was on loan at Atletico Madrid at the time, later paying tribute to his mum when the Spanish club won LaLiga in May.
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Speaking to the Metro, Torreira said: “When my mother’s thing happened, I wanted to stop playing soccer.
“I wanted to stay in Fray Bentos with my family. I had very little desire to go back to Spain because I had to stay alone there.
“Luckily one of my brothers left with me, but I wanted to be here, with my father, because he was the one who was suffering the most and the one who was hurt the most by this whole situation.
“He was always with my mother, they went everywhere together and today seeing him alone is a very hard blow that we find difficult to assimilate.
“And we try to be with him, to help him, accompany him and also hold him so that he does not fall.
“Because now we have to continue, for us, for him and because the most important reason to continue living is always going to be our mother.”
Torreira also admitted he’d been working with a psychologist in Spain during his second season at Arsenal due to a lack of playing time.
The midfielder made just 17 Premier League starts during the 2019-20 season, spending last term on loan at Atletico.
Torreira featured 26 times in all competitions for Atleti, helping them win LaLiga for the first time in seven years.
The Uruguay international paid tribute to his late mum on Instagram following Atletico’s triumph, writing: “MAMI, we are champions.
“I hope you are enjoying this beautiful moment. Always with us.”
Torreira is unlikely to remain at the Emirates beyond the summer, with reports suggesting a move to Serie A is likely.
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