Photo Credit: File Photo
Former Liverpool, Aston Villa and England defender Stephen Warnock has opened up on how the struggle of ending his professional career left him contemplating his own life - until a chance meeting with a friend-turned-therapist began to turn the dial.
Warnock made more than 550 appearances for 10 clubs across 16 seasons, but he revealed how his spiral started as he began falling out of love with the game and felt like his career had been a failure by the time he reached retirement.
"I felt like I was getting frustrated with football," he said. "I'd played in the Premier League, then you slowly start to drop down. It becomes difficult, and that may sound a bit elitist or snobby but I just lost the buzz for it.
"I felt I wasn't playing the way I wanted to, I wasn't dieting the way I should. I probably wasn't as focused as I was, because I couldn't get to the top again. I felt down, it depressed me.
"Now I look back at it and think wow, I was massively depressed for years. I retired at 35. I probably retired mentally at 31."
Financial pressures brought on by what Warnock calls an "ill-advised" investment suggestion from his financial advisor probably extended the left-back's professional career - but not for the reasons he would have wanted.
The now 42-year-old believes the financial advice, coupled with the harsh reality of retirement hitting home, created a perfect storm which drove him towards his darkest moments.
"I didn't sleep properly for six years off the back of that financial advice. I was going back into training every morning on maybe three hours' sleep," Warnock said.
"I looked back on my career and thought I was a failure. I thought I'd had a terrible career. Going to Liverpool, then going to Blackburn, to Aston Villa, then to Leeds and I just continued to go down. I always remember thinking I'd let myself down there.
It's now seven years since Stephen retired from professional football.
Lewis Musonye
