not long ago, Freddy Guarin (Puerto Boyacá, 39) was considered a big midfielder, with a long range, a powerful shot and a regular in the Colombian team. These are the qualities that made Inter Milan pay 11 … million euros per Port for their services. Changing Portugal for Italy, however, was the beginning of a long descent into hell for the player, which ended with alcohol addiction, loneliness and depression, including suicide attempts, as the player himself admitted in an interview with “Corriere della Sera”.
Guarín himself says that upon his arrival at Inter he began drinking excessively, an addiction that worsened when in 2015 he abandoned European football and signed for Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.
“I started drinking at Inter, I was suffering from the divorce. Zanetti, Mancini And icardi They tried to help me, but the problem was too big, difficult to control. That’s why I had to leave. The situation has worsened in China. My children were far away and I felt responsible. He drank, trained and played. Football was my therapy in those years, it was the only thing that forced me to take responsibility,” explains the former player.
Additionally, the situation got worse when he returned to South America in 2019 to play in the Basque da Gama Brazilian. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Guarín was arrested for domestic violence after attacking his father and other family members.
“The world stopped and I felt even more alone. I attacked my father, but it wasn’t me, I was under the influence of alcohol. Now, whenever I can, I hug him and ask for forgiveness. I also tried to end my life three times. God saved me. (…) I asked my agent and my psychologist for help (…).
They took me to a foundation, I stopped drinking and started training again. Six months later, I found my children, whom I had not seen for four years. (…) They didn’t forgive me right away, but over time they understood. Now I work at the foundation with my psychologist, I want to put my experience at the service of others.
Guarín retired in 2021 after making a final stop in Millionaires of his native country. Among his achievements are a Europa League with Porto, three and two Portuguese leagues, two Chinese championships and an Argentinian championship with Boca Juniors.
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