Aryamann Sethi: Archana Puran Singh feels proud of son Aryamann scoring four goals against Pakistan, worked hard to fulfill his dream of playing at EPL |

Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi‘s son Aryamann Sethi recently spoke openly about his struggles with mental health and the setbacks that ended his dream of pursuing football professionally. Aaryamann, who first became known through his mother’s vlogs before starting his own YouTube channel, shared his experiences in a recent vlog. In the video, he reflected on battling depression and anxiety during his younger years and how serious injuries eventually forced him to step away from football. At one point, Aaryamann had shown significant promise in the sport, he was the second-fastest under-13 football player in Maharashtra and had even scored four goals against Pakistan in a match.Speaking to his mother and younger brother Ayushman Sethi, he described how the intense competitiveness of the sport affected him emotionally.“When I started playing football, that’s when my darkness became harder to deal with. The environment in sports is extremely competitive, and because I have heightened emotions, I am also hyper-competitive. I wanted to be the best and that drove me.” Aaryamann also spoke about being bullied by older players during his early days in the sport, which later influenced his own behaviour.“I was bullied, and then I bullied others. When I look back on my life, I feel like I grew up around so much aggression that it became difficult for me not to be aggressive,” he admitted. He shared that being the child of well-known public figures often made him feel isolated growing up.“I was always an outsider. People looked at me like, ‘Oh, he is a celebrity’s son.’ I was the ‘rich kid’ to them. I was always kept at a distance. I was good at football, so I often played with older boys and they bullied me. They would sideline me, steal my things, and I wouldn’t understand what was happening. But when I played with kids my age, I was fine, though sometimes I ended up becoming the bully. Now it feels unnecessary and I feel bad about it.”Archana Puran Singh added that her son tends to hold onto guilt if he feels he has hurt someone. “One thing about Aary is that he never forgets if he has hurt anyone. He will remember it for years. That’s why he is a vegetarian and even hesitates to kill a mosquito,” she said.Reflecting on his emotional journey, Aaryamann explained that much of his anger stemmed from unresolved pain. “I have realised that I hurt people when I am going through pain. Anger is pain. Through therapy, I am understanding that now. As part of my therapy, I was asked to talk to my anger. I realised it all came from the experiences I have had in life. Some things I can’t even talk about. Mom and dad were not in a good space at that time. I would see them fight. It was all too much to take. I felt like I was fighting the world.”He also recalled facing bullying and racism while studying in United Kingdom. “In England also, I felt like I was fighting the world. I was bullied there too and experienced racism. Being called brown didn’t bother me as much, but those interactions were unpleasant. I couldn’t understand why I had to face all that. It’s very difficult to come out of that mindset. And then I broke my leg.”Archana also reflected on one of the proudest milestones in her son’s football journey. Recalling the moment, she spoke about his performance while representing India in an international match. “You went to Iran and played there for India. In one match against Pakistan, you scored four goals. Your coach called me and said, ‘Ma’am, your son Aaryamann Sethi has scored four goals against Pakistan.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”Aaryamann shared that the match was part of a strong run for him on the field. “I scored nine goals in six games. I played really well. After that, mom worked very hard to help me fulfil my dream of playing in the English Premier League.”He credited his mother for going the extra mile to support his ambitions, even helping him secure an opportunity with a football club in England. Pointing toward her during the conversation, he said, “You got me a trial at Queen’s Park Rangers. They told us that if I were a local boy, they would definitely give me a chance. That’s when you decided to start my schooling there so I could get that opportunity.”However, his plans were derailed soon after he moved abroad. Aaryamann recalled how an injury in London forced him to pause his training. “I moved to London and joined a lovely school. But I broke my leg there—it was a hairline fracture. I returned to India and played for Maharashtra again. This time my leg shattered right in front of my parents. I couldn’t get up. I was terrified that my parents would be angry with me. I was crying because I felt my dream of becoming a footballer was over.”Even after the serious injury, he tried to keep his football dream alive. “But I still tried again. I went back to England because I couldn’t give up on my dream. I had a rod in my leg after surgery and whenever I played, my wound would bleed. But I kept trying.”But continuing the sport after the injury proved emotionally draining. “In my second year there, people thought I had bought my place in the club because I had become so bad. It hurt because when they selected me, I had performed at their level.”Aaryamann added that he had also trained in an academy setup connected to football star Raheem Sterling. Despite his earlier success, he struggled to perform the way he once could. “I was really good at the sport. But I would cry on the field because I couldn’t play the way I used to. My brain knew what to do, but my body was three steps behind. It was incredibly frustrating,” he said.