Franco Fagúndez scores the goal and the ticket to the Copa Sudamericana after overcoming depression

Some goals matter for the scoreline, and some matter for what lies behind them. Franco Fagúndez's goal against River Plate at the Monumental falls into the second category. The 26 year old Uruguayan drew Independiente Santa Fe level at 1 to 1, then didn't miss in the penalty shootout that ended 8 to 7 in favor of the Colombian side, sealing their spot in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. But what he said afterward, in the mixed zone, carried more weight than any result.

Fagúndez opened up in front of TyC Sports cameras and revealed that he went through depression last year. It wasn't a stray remark or an offhand comment: he spoke calmly and in detail about a period he had chosen to keep to himself until now. "I went through a lot of things a year ago. I had depression. It wasn't a good year, I had torn my knee, it was a very complicated year and I kept thinking about that: about how soccer can be cruel sometimes, but sometimes it's beautiful and gives you these moments," he said.

What stands out, and what gives the story another dimension, is how far he was willing to go in describing it. He spoke of dark thoughts, of a knee injury that kept him off the field, of the death of a friend, and of family problems that all piled up at once. "I've never talked about it so directly before, but yes, I had ugly thoughts, I'd get in the car and sometimes I felt like driving into something. I was going through a rough patch on the field, right around the time a friend of mine had passed away, there was a lot going on, family problems too... Everything at once, everything bad," explained the forward, who came up through Nacional de Montevideo's youth ranks.

Asking for help was the key

Fagúndez was also honest about the mistake he made at first: trying to handle everything on his own. That "I can get through this" pride that so often works against you when the problem is a mental health one. "For a while I acted tough, telling myself 'I can handle everything,' 'I got myself into this, I can get myself out.' But the truth is it doesn't work that way. You have to ask for help, obviously. Nobody can face these problems alone, and I thank God and my family for never letting go of me," he said.

For a while I acted tough, telling myself "I can handle everything," "I got myself into this, I can get myself out." But the truth is it doesn't work that way. You have to ask for help, obviously.Franco Fagúndez

The other side of the story that night had a name too: Hugo Rodallega. The Colombian was set to take the penalty in regulation time, but he handed it to Fagúndez because, as he explained, he trusted his teammate's ability to deliver in such a tense moment. "Franco is a hell of a player, and on top of that he's a guy full of confidence, and I gave it to him because I trust him, because I know the ability he has to finish, and the important thing was to get the equalizer," Rodallega explained.

Fagúndez didn't hesitate to thank him for the gesture. "I asked him for it and he didn't hesitate to give me the ball, so I thank Huguito for that too. These are the games you always dream of playing," he said. He even admitted he knew the numbers were working against him: "I had recently seen that players who score a penalty during the match tend to miss when it comes to the shootout. But I was very confident, I really believed it was going to go in." And it did: he scored again, this time to send Independiente Santa Fe through.