Barcelona star Gavi began the current season with limited playing time after a blow to the knee against Elche on the opening weekend of La Liga.
The injury proved no more than a passing concern. He recovered quickly, featuring for a few minutes against Feyenoord in the Champions League and against Racing in the Spanish league.
Speaking to Men's Health magazine in remarks published by Sport, Gavi confirmed he had not turned to any outside help to cope with the psychological ups and downs that followed his injuries.
"Going to a psychologist is always useful," Gavi said. "Whether you are in a bad state or even a good one, it remains important. I have never been to a psychologist before, but I would like to."
He added: "I isolated myself with my family, and that also helped me a great deal."
The road back was far from easy. Gavi missed almost a full year of competition in 2023, then suffered another absence of around five months in September 2025 after surgery on the meniscus of the same knee.
He hates having his name tied to his injuries, though. He would rather the talk centred on his level, and on his ability to endure and recover.
Social media was another topic he tackled, a tool many players increasingly lean on, whether through communications agencies running campaigns or simply to post pictures.
Gavi enjoys using Instagram, but he pays little heed to what is said about him and handles criticism well.
"The people whose opinion matters to me in football are my teammates, the coaches and the fans," he said. "If they are happy, that is what is most important. In the end, they are the ones who see me every day and know the truth."
He stressed: "People can express their opinions freely, and that is natural, and you may like a certain player more or less, but I have always been clear about things. Criticism is part of football, but it does not affect me much."
Then there is his style. After his World Cup triumph, Gavi turned up with his hair dyed pink, a radical change in his appearance that fulfilled a promise he had made to himself.
A few months ago he started paying closer attention to how he looks. He is keen to have his hair cut by his usual barber and changes his hairstyle frequently.
"When I was younger, I did not care much about my hair," Gavi said. "But over the years, I started to pay more attention to my appearance."