Former Watford and Newcastle defender, Daryl Janmaat has disclosed that his struggle with cocaine addiction was a factor in the collapse of his marriage.
Janmaat played for Newcastle for two seasons between 2014 and 2016, playing 77 games. The Dutch full back then played for Watford for four years.
Janmaat’s career peaked in 2014 when he was a member of the Netherlands team that advanced to the World Cup semifinals before losing to Argentina on penalties.
In 2022, the 34-cap international ended his career at ADO Den Haag, the Dutch team where he got his debut.
Janmaat was believed to have been discovered under the influence of drugs in The Hague’s Scheveningen district a year later. After that, he reportedly checked himself into a South African recovery facility.
Janmaat Opens Up On His Cocaine Addiction
In an interview with the Dutch publication AD as quoted by the Daily Mail, Janmaat said that he had developed a cocaine addiction after finding it difficult to accept his retirement from the sport.
“I have three children who also hear and read things,” the 36-year-old said.
“I cannot and do not want to mention all the details, but my cocaine addiction has caused a lot of misery. Wanted to so much, but a knee injury threw a spanner in the works.
“That knee was huge, after an injection, it went wrong. The joint became infected due to the wrong needle. My career was over, I couldn’t handle that.”
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Janmaat, who also represented Heerenveen and Feyenoord during his career, admitted the addiction had played a part in the breakdown of his marriage to his wife Yoshi.
“I am still officially married, but we are no longer together,” he added. ‘The relationship wasn’t going well anyway, but that addiction obviously didn’t help.
“A lot has been damaged, although we are getting on well again. It was cocaine, not something else. Not drink either. It can happen to anyone, I think. I never thought I could become addicted.”
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