Three years later, ex-Empoli youth Giraldi admits the torment drove him to the edge - and to the point where he feared he might actually have a heart attack in the middle of a game.

Now he has returned to his former club Sydney FC to hail the launch of the club's beyondblue Cup initiative, with next month's showpiece clash against Melbourne Victory dedicated to the cause.

The new community partnership is designed to raise awareness of depression and anxiety, and comes in the wake of a series of tragedies at home and overseas involving footballers, fans and media.

Now Giraldi has spoken of his own experiences and the anxiety attacks he suffered on the pitch - and the sport's inability to deal with them at the time.

"I was worried that I would have a heart attack on the pitch," he admitted today. "Every time I exerted myself, my heart started pounding more than it should.

"I was very aware of what was going on with my body and it really affected me because I felt as if I was unfit to actually train and perform.

"There was one time I particularly recall when we went over to Etihad to play Melbourne Victory and I started that game.

"We were 2-0 up at half-time and I had heart palpitations at half-time and I was thinking at the back of my mind: 'I'm going to have a heart attack if I go back out here...'

"It was really the first time I was affected by it and that's really where it all started and where I became aware of exactly what was going on."

He added: "I would never have known until I actually spoke up and said I've got anxiety. It's very common and there's no shame in asking for help.

"If Sydney FC's going to take that step to take this issue seriously, then I think it's massive for the game and it's massive for Sydney FC."

You can contact beyondblue on 1300 224 636.