Fredy Guarín, one of the most talented Colombian footballers of recent years, has revealed his dramatic battle with alcoholism, which began during his time at Inter and continued throughout the following years of his career.
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- Former Inter midfielder Fredy Guarín has admitted that his drinking problem began during his time at the Nerazzurri, despite it being one of the best periods of his career.
- After leaving Italy, the situation worsened in China and Brazil, where he reportedly consumed up to 70 beers in a single night.
- The former footballer, who retired in 2021, has recently stopped drinking and is trying to rebuild his life without alcohol.
Fredy Guarín was one of the most influential and successful Colombian footballers of the last 15 years. However, his career was marked by a personal battle with alcoholism.
In an interview on Colombian TV station Caracol Televisión's "Los Informantes" program, the former central defender revealed that the problem began during his time at Inter Milan.
The Puerto Boyacá-born player made his debut for Atlético Huila in 2003. Before coming to Europe, he played for Envigado and was loaned out to Boca Juniors in Argentina for a short time. In 2006, he ended up at Saint-Étienne and then moved to Porto before joining Inter in January 2012.
In five seasons with the Nerazzurri, he played 141 games and scored 22 goals. It was during this period, which was the best of his career from a sporting perspective, that the problems began.
"I got drunk before the games"
"I started to make a name for myself in Italy and that's when it all started a bit, even off the pitch. I managed it very well: I got drunk two days before the game, then I got on the pitch and everything went well," the former footballer admits in an interview with the South American TV channel.
"We always won, I scored one or two goals," says the Colombian, "more than if I hadn't been drinking, maybe out of guilt. I drank at home, in clubs, in restaurants. I was looking for company. The environment: champagne everywhere and the best models. I had my family, and that's where it got complicated. I knew I was making mistakes, both at work and with my family commitments."
"I lost sight of the value of family and my goal in football. I had the feeling that I no longer had any boundaries. The alcohol completely overwhelmed me, so my agent and I decided: I have to leave, I can no longer stay in Milan," Guarín recounts.
After four years, the midfielder left Italy and went to China, then back to South America, where he played for Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian first division. Off the pitch, however, the situation did not get any better.
70 beers in one night
"When I went to China, I completely succumbed to alcoholism. In Brazil, I felt like the happiest man in the world on the football pitch for six months (...) I drank 50, 60, even 70 beers in one night. Then came the pandemic: no training, no team, no football. I wasn't afraid. I hung out in the favelas, I was with random girls, I let myself go completely," explains Guarín with tears in his eyes.
He continues: "I fell asleep exhausted and as soon as I woke up, I had a beer next to me to keep drinking. I was living on the 17th floor, completely alienated from reality, and my reaction was to try and throw myself off the balcony. A safety net pushed me back," the South American even admits.
In 2021, the 38-year-old ended his career with FC Millonarios in Bogotá. In the meantime, the former Inter Milan player is doing better. He has not drunk alcohol for six months and is trying to get his life back under control.
