This is the dark side of glory. The one that should not be whispered to children who dream of imitating them on a football field. Behind the stadium lights, there are the throbbing pains of sleepless nights. Near the trophy cabinet, there is the medicine cabinet so you can take too many anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Far from the photos retracing the good times of their careers, there are these looks alone in front of their mirrors. One wonders if success really had to be paid for with so much suffering just to walk down the street.
In football, post-career is often the moment when the body sends the note of the excesses agreed to while playing. And rare are the former great players who then frolic without problem. “If you have fun calling guys from my generation or those before, you will be surprised,” ex-Marseillais Éric Di Meco squeaked in the past. There aren’t many guys who are in good condition. »
