Manssita Traoré opens up on depression and urges others to speak

The Strasbourg forward Manssita Traoré (23) has offered a powerful personal account about depression, a condition she says she has been dealing with for several years. As reported by L'Équipe, the player hopes her testimony will support people who are going through the same kind of suffering.

A message of support

In her statement, Traoré stresses that she doesn’t want distress to be treated as something shameful. She frames her message as a way to give reassurance to others who may feel isolated, misunderstood, or reluctant to talk about what they are experiencing.

The fact that she chooses to speak publicly about mental health, in the spotlight of professional football, makes the story resonate beyond the sport itself. L'Équipe highlights that the goal is not just to share her own journey, but to help normalize the experience of suffering and encourage empathy.

Beyond football

Traoré’s words land as a reminder that struggling isn’t a weakness and that reaching out matters. By sharing her own reality, she aims to reduce the stigma around depression—both for fans and for anyone affected, as noted in L'Équipe’s report.