The world of elite football has come on leaps and bounds since the days of the 1990s, when drinking remained a central part of team bonding at the time. Perhaps more so in English football than most, but for many it masked serious problems of alcoholism. Former Real Madrid player Cicinho was one such sufferer.
On a recent television programme in Brazil titled Ressaca, Cicinho explained that he would turn up to training drunk at times. Sport carried some of the comments.
“I drank coffee to get the rid of the breath and I showered myself with perfume. In my profession, as a former professional footballer, it was easy.”
“I didn’t need money to get drinks, people happily gave them to me in restaurants.”
He also explained that it was a long-term problem that started at the age of 13, but then struggled to kick it even at the height of his career.
“Alcohol surrounds you with people that like that style of life and the people that truly love you remain excluded. I have a son of 15 years old and I’m always asking him for forgiveness. At that point he was two years old and I didn’t even understand it [the situation] properly, but it remains fixed in my mind.”
Cicinho, now 41, spent two seasons at Real Madrid between 2005 and 2007, before moving onto AS Roma. He also played at Villarreal later on his career.
Image via Denis Doyle/Getty Images
