Despite the general belief that athletes are healthy people without vices, the reality often convinces us otherwise, and little by little we hear that, say, a football player ended his career because he failed to cope with the problem of alcohol. Alcoholism is also a problem of some of the best athletes of today, and here are a few who have publicly fought this vice for years. Some of them were doctors of this game, others threatened to become the best in history, but a glass of drink cost them dearly!
- Garrincha (1933-1983)
In his homeland, Brazil is often mentioned as the greatest football player ever, before his compatriot Pele. Garrincha, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1962, dedicated most of his life to alcohol and women. He had numerous accidents while intoxicated. He died in 1983 of liver disease while in an alcoholic coma, leaving behind 14 children.
Bet on Premier League with 1xBet- George Best (1946-2005)
This star from Northern Ireland spent his best years as a talented striker at Manchester United, with whom he won the then Champions League in 1968. Best, on the other hand, was also known for adoring Manchester’s nightlife. His craving for alcohol and women gave him the status of a rock star. He even had a liver transplant in 2002, but he still drank. In 2005, Best died after the consequences of numerous health complications.
- Paul Gascoigne (1967-)
One of the most talented English footballers, but also one of the most controversial. He allowed vices, especially alcohol, to ruin his brilliant career. Apart from the magic, he showed on the field in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Gascoigne is even more famous for the fact that he could not resist almost any vice. He enjoyed food, gambling, drugs, and, above all, alcohol. Because of all that, he had numerous incidents, he even tried to kill himself.
- Socrates (1954-2011)
This Brazilian also liked to enjoy life, but it cost him his life. He also had a liver transplant in 2011, but even that could not solve his problems that he had due to alcohol abuse. He died later that year. The audience still remembers him as a brilliant player because he scored 22 goals in 60 appearances. However, all that fell into a snack because Socrates' life was simply ruined by alcohol. To make matters worse, he was a doctor by profession.
Bet on La Liga with 1xBet- Diego Armando Maradona (1960-2020)
Maradona is said to be probably the best footballer ever. However, it seems that the great Diego is better known around the world for his cocaine addiction and alcoholism than for football. In his biography, he spoke openly about how much he drank, as well as that he could have been much better had he not drunk a bottle of whiskey every night. This golden boy, as he was called, turned into his shadow because of vice. He lived to the extreme almost to the end. Maradona died in November last year. Officially, no opiates were found in his body, but that was the first thing that everyone wondered when they heard the bad news, which says a lot.
- Adriano (1982-)
A more recent example in the sea of football alcoholics. The legendary Adriano never reached his potential. He had strength, speed, a strong left leg that would take you back to your childhood when the ball hit you in the head. The former Inter football player was powerful, and with his teammates in the Brazilian national team at the time, everything was planned for him to make a career that would put him at the very top of the best. However, he learned the charms of the nightlife very quickly, and when you add fame, money, and power to that, no mathematical calculation is needed to understand the fall of Adrian.
The Brazilian was often depressed, with problems with weight, alcohol was his way to avoiding problems until they accumulated.