Luca de la Torre has said his social media was flooded with angry messages from gamblers after a red card earlier this season.
The Celta Vigo midfielder was sent off midway through the second half against Alavés in September. His side was ahead 1-0 at the time of his red card, but the visitors would equalize in a match that would end 1-1.
De la Torre appeared on a recent episode of the Vamos podcast with Herculez Gomez, and detailed how he was on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse in the aftermath of his red card.
“I was sent off this season against Alavés at home,” the U.S. men’s national team midfielder said.
“And it was a game we were winning 1-0 and then we drew, so I think I messed up a lot of people’s bets on the game. And I got a couple hundred direct messages — things like, ‘kill yourself, I hope your mom dies, I hope you break your leg and you never play again.’
“I just turned off my direct messages and now I don’t see that anymore. But that’s not nice that people would lack the empathy for other people to send that type of stuff.”
In addition to turning off his direct messages, the 25-year-old said he copes with the abuse by trying not to take it to heart.
“Remembering that it’s difficult for people probably to have empathy for footballers if they haven’t played professionally like we have,” De la Torre said. “They don’t really understand what it’s like and how difficult it is. Football is entertainment for a lot of people and they just want to talk s–t about it online and have a good time. Just trying not to take things to heart or not seeing things at all I think is the best way.”
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