A former youth star tragically died after his sister observed a 'sudden mood change' but was reassured 'there is nothing more' she could have done to prevent his untimely death. Vinicius de Oliveira Cabral de Souza, known as Vini, was just 19 when he passed away in February.

Warrington Town, his previous club, released a statement at the time saying: "Scorer of the most spectacular goals, Vini was a well respected, much-loved member of the club, and his ability earned him a place training with the first team despite his young age.

"He played for the first team last season in the Cheshire Senior Cup against Cheadle Town, and trained regularly with the first team, appearing in numerous pre-season friendlies over the past couple of seasons."

An investigation into his death has been conducted by Bolton Coroner's Court, after it emerged that Vini had abandoned football just months before his passing, with his sister, Mayara De Souza, noticing a significant shift in her brother's demeanour. Vini had was released United at 14, though he continued to play for another five years.

It was revealed that he never clarified why he ceased playing and stopped training with Warrington Town.

Mayara De Souza, speaking about her late brother, shared that he quit activities once loved like football, the gym, and social gatherings. She recounted his strange apologies: "He stopped doing the things that he liked to do such as football, going to the gym and seeing friends."

"He started apologising about the way he treated us and we didn't understand what he meant. His best friend as well, he said the same to him and he said he doesn't know why.

"He said to my dad before he died, 'Am I going to be arrested for this?' And [my dad] said, 'for what?'

"He said, 'because of the way that I am, I'm going to be arrested'. And there was an occasion where he saw a police car but it was for a neighbour. He thought it was for him."

Despite her attempts to help by arranging a psychotherapy session, which he declined, Mayara described their conversations on mental health. When she suggested depression could be the cause, "he laughed in her face," she told the coroner's court.

Vini had isolated himself from friends following a confession to drug use on one occasion, although a toxicology report revealed no substances in his system at the time of death.

Vini was found dead on February 20, with the police determining that he had committed suicide.

After a thorough inquiry, Assistant Coroner Stephen Teesdale confirmed that the family's efforts to save their son, who suffered from depression, were nothing short of exhaustive. He conveyed his findings to the bereaved family: "There's nothing more you could have done. You did everything. You spotted the problem - depression. You made a plan, you sought professional assistance from a psychotherapist.

"You had a plan to take him to Brazil. There's nothing more you could have done. He had an entirely supportive family. It was to do with how he saw the world."

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