Former Inter Milan star, FREDY GUARIN, reveals he was drinking up to 70 beers a night during the darkest period of his career

Saturday, November 23, 2024 - Former Inter Milan midfielder, Fredy Guarin has opened up on his battles with alcohol and depression.

The former Colombian footballer, who retired in 2021, said in a recent interview with Radio Caracol that he was drinking up to 70 beers per night at one point when he was based in Brazil with Vasco da Gama.

The 38-year-old became a heavy drinker following his move to China when he joined  Shanghai Shenhua from Inter Milan.

'From the first day I arrived in China, I became a real alcoholic,' he recalled.

'I would get up to train, then straight after that go to drink. I'd rest a little, train, then drink. Every day was like that.

'I started to get better in Brazil, I felt like the happiest man in the world for six months, but then the pandemic hit.'

Guarin joined Vasco da Gama in September 2019 after four years in China. He had previously played for Inter, Porto, and Saint-Etienne in Europe, as well as Envigado and Atletico Huila in his native Colombia.

When Brazil went into lockdown in early 2020 due to the global outbreak of COVID, life turned dark for Guarin and almost ended completely.

'I would drink 50, 60, 70 beers in one night,' he explained. 'I totally lost control, would hang out in the Favelas, I was seeking out danger and adrenaline. I had a run of 10 days in a row being completely drunk, I woke up with a beer at my side.

'I lived in the 17th floor of an apartment building and I was so detached from reality that I jumped off a balcony. Fortunately, there was a net underneath and it bounced me back, but I didn't even realise it. I had no idea what I was doing.

'I realised then that if I got drunk again, I would die. I hope that my testimony can reach many corners of the world, touch many hearts and save some lives.'