Former Real Madrid full-back Cicinho has revealed how he was warned he was putting his life in danger due to excessive drinking.
The 36-year-old, who most recently played for Turkish club Sivasspor, was part of Madrid’s LaLiga title-winning side of 2006-07 before he joined Roma, but his career tailed off after an initially promising spell in the Italian capital.
Unsuccessful loan deals with Sao Paulo and Villarreal followed before he spent a year back in Brazil with Sport Recife, prior to his move to Turkey.
The defender has now described the extent of his problems with alcohol, telling ESPN Brasil: “I’m a guy who can’t sit and have one or two glasses. I have to drink until I fall over.
“They said to me: ‘if you keep going with this life, you will die’. And I had an encounter with Jesus after 18 caipirinhas and 14 ‘long necks’ [of beer].”
Cicinho, who won the Confederations Cup with Brazil in 2005, went on to criticise the attitude of players within the national team following their disappointing performance at the Copa America Centenario, where they were knocked out in the group stage with just one win from three games.
“These days, we’re all concerned with selfies, with hair and all these things,” he said.
“There’s style all right, but the Brazilian team needs more attitude. You see players asking not to play in the Copa America. That shouldn’t be!”
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