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Landon Donovan may be one of the most recognized American men’s soccer players of all time.
Donovan was part of the 2002 World Cup that reached the quarterfinals and helped them get out of the group stage in 2010 after a disappointing exit in 2006. He scored one of the most memorable goals in 2010 when he scored in overtime to put the United States over Algeria and advance to the knockout stage.
Along with the ups and downs that brought Donovan to newfound fame, there were also tremendous ups and downs.
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Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan (26) in action against Orlando City FC during the second half at StubHub Center on September 11, 2016. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)
Donovan details his struggle with depression, reconfiguring what success meant to him and his incredible football career in his new book, “Landon: A Memoir,” out Tuesday.
He opened up to Pak Gazette Digital about his mental health struggles and what depression was like for him.
“I had two different types of experiences with depression,” he said. “Through therapy and in hindsight, I realized that I’ve had underlying depression, low-level depression my entire life that I deal with today. So there are days where I wake up and feel depressed and sad, but that’s very manageable for me now. I’ve learned how to deal with that.
“But I’ve also had three episodes in my life of very serious depressive episodes that have lasted for weeks and have been very, very difficult to overcome. So what that looked like for me: not being able to get off the couch, not wanting to eat and feeling like there’s a huge blanket on top of you that you can’t get off of and that’s a horrible feeling.”
The former American soccer star said he has found ways to get out of those moods, along with the help of therapy.
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U.S. forward Landon Donovan (10) reacts after nearly scoring a goal against Antigua and Barbuda during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on June 8, 2012. (Matt Stamey/USA TODAY Sports)
“I say the three M’s for me,” he explained. “Medication has helped me a lot in my life. Meditation helps a lot. And then, in some cases, my mother. Just having my mother by my side has helped me. And now I’m at a point where, knock on wood, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a major depressive episode. But the medication and the meditation keep me calm and the exercise really keeps me – these are the three things that really keep me sane.”
Donovan mentioned that he really started to struggle after the 2006 World Cup and failed to score or provide assists for the team. He bore the brunt of the media criticism of the time. He was also left off the roster for the 2008 Olympics, although the team had an under-23 roster.
The positive side of this is that no one was going to Donovan’s MySpace page to vent angry comments or even death threats similar to what professional athletes now hear.
In that way, Donovan told Pak Gazette Digital that he feels “very lucky.”
“We see so many people who are in the public eye who have to deal with social media hate, criticism, criticism all the time. And all of this would have been exacerbated for me if all of that had existed,” he said. “I feel very, very lucky for a number of reasons that social media didn’t exist at the time, but it’s a very real thing.
“People assume that because we’re in the public eye and we make money and we have fame and our lives should be easy. And by the way, compared to the person who struggles to put food on the table, it’s easy, so I’m not minimizing that. But sometimes it’s hard to deal with. We are, as humans, social creatures. And we want to be liked, we all want to be liked, that’s normal. And opening your screen every day, your phone or your computer, and reading people’s eyes on you, it’s really hard for humans to put you down, it’s really hard for humans. and, unfortunately, we have seen it take many, many lives.”
Donovan retired from professional soccer as one of the greatest Major League Soccer players the league has ever seen. He helped the United States win four Gold Cup titles and the LA Galaxy win four MLS Cups.
Success in 2026 compared to 2006 looks a little different to Donovan right now.
LA Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida (4) and former player Landon Donovan hug after defeating the New York Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 7, 2024. (Gary A. Vásquez/Imagn Images)
“For me success now is peace,” he told Pak Gazette Digital. “I’m at peace when I’m with my kids. I’m at peace with my wife, when we travel, when I play golf. Sometimes it’s crazy for me to think that a kid who grew up in a 900-square-foot house is flying to New York, staying at a Ritz Carlton overlooking Central Park and thinking back, how did all this happen? But it wasn’t always easy along the way. And so today, for me, peace is about doing the things I love.
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“Sadly, my father is a big part of the book. He’s an important character throughout the book and he wasn’t around growing up. I was able to reconcile with him at age 25, almost 20 years ago. He passed away in December, and it was very eye-opening for me to be at someone’s side while they were dying. You start to realize that when I’m there one day, what will I really care about? So when I think about it that way, And I try to think about that every day, what is really going to matter today. Most things are not going to matter. And so, the things that bring me peace are the ones that I am going to put my energy and effort into.”
