'I started to go crazy' - Ryan Gravenberch opens up on mental turmoil at Bayern Munich before Liverpool transfer took him 'from hell to heaven'

Gravenberch won two titles in his first and only season at Allianz Arena, including the Bundesliga trophy, but he rarely got game time under Nagelsmann. The 23-year-old, however, got a chance to redeem himself after he completed a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2023. In his second season at Anfield, Gravenberch became a regular starter under fellow Dutchman Arne Slot and played a key role in helping the club win their record-equalling 20th English top-flight title. 

Speaking about his nightmare at Bayern, Gravenberch said: "I was going crazy in my head. I was lucky my parents had moved to Munich for me. I don’t know what would have happened if I had been out there just on my own…it was really tough mentally. I was happy we were champions, but my contribution was small. I know we stood there as champions but I did not feel like a champion at all. It was a totally different feeling from all the other times I won trophies.

"Under Nagelsmann, I would go three matches in a row spending 90 minutes watching my team. That is when I started to go crazy in my head. In the winter, I was totally done with it. During the last two months of the season under (Thomas) Tuchel, I got more minutes than in the entire period before. I remember how I felt at Bayern, but I know I have managed to climb out of that low. And that is what I am proud of."

Gravenberch's father, Ryan Sr, further elaborated on his son's mental condition, as he told Helden: "When you say something like that as a parent, people might think ‘oh dear, here is another father who thinks his son is so brilliant.’ But the football world is hard - and people in that world are too. A lot was said about him, but people forgot this was a young boy of 21.

"The whole Bayern Munich adventure never worked out like he expected. He was working really hard, but he was never given a chance to shine. At that time, we could not dream that he would get a transfer to Liverpool and that Arne Slot would become his coach. When I look at what has happened to him with Slot and Liverpool I have to say in all honesty that he has gone from hell to heaven!"

Gravenberch missed Liverpool's Community Shield clash against Crystal Palace last Sunday, as he became a father only a day before. The midfielder, though, is set to return to the starting line-up for the club's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday.