{"id":385889,"date":"2017-12-24T12:34:32","date_gmt":"2017-12-24T12:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=385889"},"modified":"2017-12-24T12:38:21","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T12:38:21","slug":"ex-arsenal-player-eboue-brink-suicide-sleeps-friends-floor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=385889","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Arsenal player Eboue on &#8216;brink of suicide&#8217;, sleeps on friend&#8217;s floor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eleven years ago he was lining up to take part in the biggest club match in world football.<\/p>\n<p>During an illustrious seven-year career in the\u00a0Premier League, he pocketed millions of pounds in wages, lived in a mansion and drove flashy cars.<\/p>\n<p>Now ex-Arsenal defender\u00a0Emmanuel Eboue\u00a0spends his days hiding from \u00adbailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor of a friend\u2019s home, travels by bus and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the 34-year-old tells how his staggering riches-to-rags plight has pushed him to the brink of suicide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want God to help me,\u201d he says. \u201cOnly he can help take these thoughts from my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To listen to Eboue open his heart is as harrowing as it is shocking.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739473.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/SUNDAYMIRROR-PROD-Emmanuel-Eboue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"620\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emmanuel Eboue says his fall from grace has pushed him to the brink of suicide\u00a0(Image: Philip Coburn\/Daily Mirror)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He wants to talk openly and honestly in a bid to encourage others going through the same ordeal to open up.<\/p>\n<p>The Sunday Mirror, through its Time To Change campaign, has been battling for the past six years to smash the stigma associated with the mental ill health with which Eboue is now suffering.<\/p>\n<p>At the peak of his career with\u00a0Arsenal\u00a0he became a fans\u2019 favourite. He was part of the side that faced Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.<\/p>\n<p>Arsenal lost but Eboue remains a cult-hero at the Emirates Stadium, as much for his happy demeanour and his goal celebrations as the ability which saw him help the Ivory Coast reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final.<\/p>\n<p>That joy, however, has been replaced by tears \u2013 and a deep fear of the future.<\/p>\n<p>Eboue, currently unable to play football because of ill-health, says he has been pushed to the brink. He has:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lost a bitter\u00a0divorce\u00a0battle, with his wife Aurelie awarded all of their assets.<\/li>\n<li>Had to hide from cops and bailiffs after being ordered by a judge to transfer his remaining Enfield home to his wife.<\/li>\n<li>Faced a heartbreaking estrangement from his three kids, who he has not seen since June.<\/li>\n<li>Been grieving after the cancer death of grandfather Amadou Bertin \u2013 who raised him \u2013 and the loss of his brother N\u2019Dri Serge, killed in a motorbike accident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<aside class=\"read-more-links\"><\/aside>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739466.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/SUNDAYMIRROR-PROD-Emmanuel-Eboue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ex-Arsenal defender has lost everything\u00a0(Image: Philip Coburn\/Daily Mirror)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739493.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/SUNDAYMIRROR-PROD-Emmanuel-Eboue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eboue says his wife took care of all his business dealings\u00a0(Image: Philip Coburn\/Daily Mirror)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It is now three weeks since a deadline passed for Eboue to surrender ownership of the North London home he used to share with Aurelie.<\/p>\n<p>A judge will sign the transfer if Eboue does not do so.<\/p>\n<p>The player and his wife lived there in happier times before Eboue bought a mansion \u2013 which Aurelie has now put on the market.<\/p>\n<p>He understands she will rent out the Enfield property.<\/p>\n<p>So Eboue, his belongings in bags, now awaits the knock that will see him ordered to leave at any time.<\/p>\n<p>The worried star said: \u201cI can\u2019t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don\u2019t know what time the police will come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes I shut off the lights because I don\u2019t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"read-more-links\"><\/aside>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739500.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/FILES-A-picture-taken-19-December-2004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"447\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emmanuel Eboue pictured with his wife and baby in happier times\u00a0(Image: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eboue has taken a huge fall from the days he netted millions at Arsenal and then more than \u00a31.5million a year at Turkish side Galatasaray.<\/p>\n<p>His dream of a Premier League return with Sunderland evaporated last year, however, after he was hit with a 12-month ban by FIFA after a dispute with a former agent.<\/p>\n<p>Eboue says he was never given \u00adguidance to manage his finances.<\/p>\n<p>Insisting his wife looked after most of their affairs, he admits being \u201cnaive\u201d with money.<\/p>\n<p>He also claims he was beset by a string of people who gave bad advice and lost him huge sums.<\/p>\n<p>With a limited \u00adeducation, Eboue is paying the price for being unaware of his financial situation. His handful of visits to the bank were with Aurelie.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739507.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/Tottenham-Hotspur-v-Arsenal-Carling-Cup-3rd-Round.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emmanuel Eboue on the pitch for Arsenal\u00a0(Image: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Eboue even recalls an occasion when bank staff visited him \u2013 to sign paperwork \u2013 at Arsenal\u2019s training ground.<\/p>\n<p>And he now wants other young African footballers to learn from his mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>He says: \u201cI look back and say \u00ad\u2018Emmanuel, you have been naive&#8230; why didn\u2019t you think about that before?\u2019 It is hard.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Very, very hard. The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She is my wife. The problems with FIFA were because of people advising me. People who are supposed to care. But it was because of them FIFA banned me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Having surrendered the cars among assets transferred to his wife, Eboue now has an Oyster card and relies on London transport \u2013 while doing his best to avoid being recognised.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11739482.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/SUNDAYMIRROR-PROD-Emmanuel-Eboue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eboue was hit with a 12 month FIFA ban after a dispute with his former agent\u00a0(Image: Philip Coburn\/Daily Mirror)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He splits his time between the Enfield house and the home of a \u00adconfidante he calls his \u201csister\u201d \u2013 Yasmin Razak.<\/p>\n<p>He often sleeps on a mattress on her living room floor.<\/p>\n<p>But even watching TV \u2013 and seeing the likes of former team-mate Thierry Henry as a football pundit \u2013 triggers negative thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>He adds: \u201cWhen I see Thierry I feel happy for him but ashamed of my own situation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I see friends on TV that I played with or against I say to myself \u2018I should still be there\u2019. It\u2019s hard to watch them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Yasmin and another close pal, ex-Portsmouth and Newcastle striker Lomana Lua Lua, have been crucial in helping Eboue stay afloat.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mod-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11746231.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/Carling-Cup-Final-2011-Arsenal-v-Birmingham-City-Wembley-Stadium-270211.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Eboue consoles Jack Wilshere after losing to Birmingham in the League Cup final<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Image: Reuters)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of Yasmin, he said: \u201cI call her house The Bunker. I can hide there. She has children. I don\u2019t want to disturb them, so I sleep on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eboue is devastated at spending Christmas apart from his own kids, daughters Clara, 14, and Maeva, 12, and son Mathis, nine.<\/p>\n<p>He goes on: \u201cIt hurts me a lot. They used to call me. But now, no contact. It pains me to be alone without them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eboue has been left without so much as a washing machine.<\/p>\n<p>But he won\u2019t be beaten, saying: \u201cEvery day I wash my jeans, my clothes, everything. My hands are hard. As though I have been working on a farm.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"in-article-image\" data-mod=\"image\" data-init=\"true\">\n<div class=\"outer\">\n<div class=\"mod-image\">\n<figure style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/incoming\/article11746224.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/Arsenal-Training-Session.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eboue with Arsene Wenger in 2010\u00a0(Image: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI thank my grandmother because she taught me to wash, cook, clean, everything as a young man.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI continue to thank God. I have my life. I didn\u2019t want what has happened. I don\u2019t wish it on anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Eboue wants to return to playing one day, he would jump at the chance of working with former club Arsenal or players\u2019 union the PFA.<\/p>\n<p>He says: \u201cI would accept help from anywhere but if my previous club wants to help me then I would be very, very happy. Maybe I could help the young players?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe PFA helped me when I had my problems with my agent. If they gave me a job, even if it wasn\u2019t a big, big job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe I\u2019d see some of the people I played with or against and I\u2019d feel embarrassed. But I would cope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Source: Mirror UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eleven years ago he was lining up to take part in the biggest club match in world football. During an illustrious seven-year career in the\u00a0Premier League, he pocketed millions of pounds in wages, lived in a mansion and drove flashy cars. Now ex-Arsenal defender\u00a0Emmanuel Eboue\u00a0spends his days hiding from \u00adbailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[145,15656,1533],"class_list":["post-385889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-football","tag-arsenal","tag-emmanuel-eboue","tag-suicide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=385889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=385889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=385889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=385889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}