Former Inter Milan midfielder, Fredy Guari has disclosed that he developed the habit of gulping 50 to 70 beers in a night during the darkest day of his football career.
The former Colombian footballer, who retired in 2021, said in a recent interview with Radio Caracol that he was drinking up to 70 beers per night at one point when he was based in Brazil with Vasco da Gama.
With no training or matches to play, Guarin found himself sliding ever deeper into an alcoholic stupor and it almost killed him.
“I started getting a name for myself in Italy and that is also where a different issue started off the pitch,” said Guarin.
“Initially, I dealt with it pretty well, as I’d get drunk two days before a game, then play, score one or two goals, the team would win. I think it all started from a lack of understanding.
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“I would drink at home, in nightclubs, at the restaurant. I already had a family and that was so bad, because I knew full well that what I was doing was wrong. I failed in every objective, football and personal, because I felt like I had no limits.
“I was so swept up in alcohol that they told me via my agent that I could no longer stay in Milan. The club warned I had to be taken away from there, right now.”
“From the first day I arrived in China, I became a real alcoholic. I would get up to train, then straight after that go to drink. I’d rest a little, train, then drink. Every day was like that. I started to get better in Brazil, I felt like the happiest man in the world for six months, but then the pandemic hit.”
With no training or matches to play, Guarin found himself sliding ever deeper into an alcoholic stupor and it almost killed him.
“I would drink 50, 60, 70 beers in one night. I totally lost control, would hang out in the Favelas, I was seeking out danger and adrenaline. I had a run of 10 days in a row being completely drunk, I woke up with a beer at my side.
“I lived in the 17th floor of an apartment building and I was so detached from reality that I jumped off a balcony. Fortunately, there was a net underneath and it bounced me back, but I didn’t even realise it. I had no idea what I was doing.
“I realised then that if I got drunk again, I would die. I hope that my testimony can reach many corners of the world, touch many hearts and save some lives.”
