EX-PREMIER LEAGUE star Dani Osvaldo has admitted “my life is slipping out of my hands” as he lifted the lid on his battles with drugs, drink and depression.
The Italy striker joined Southampton from Roma in a £13million deal in 2013.
His time on the South Coast proved to be controversial as he landed a ban for his part in a touchline fracas against Newcastle and then copped a club suspension for a training-ground clash with teammate Jose Fonte.
He managed just three goals in 13 Saints appearances, and was shipped out on loan three times before having his contract terminated in 2015.
Osvaldo went on to play for Porto, plus Boca Juniors and Banfield in his native Argentina, before retiring in 2020.
The 38-year-old has now revealed how his life has spiralled out of control in a video on Instagram.
“It’s hard for me to make this video because I’ve never done anything like this before,” the 14-cap international admitted.
“But I think the time has come because I’m quite desperate and I’m not doing well. I don’t know if it’s a cry for help or if I just feel the need to talk about it because I’ve been dealing with a lot of depression for a long time.
“This depression made me fall into some addictions – alcohol and drugs. And the truth is that I’m at a point where my life is slipping out of my hands.
“I’m undergoing psychiatric treatment and taking medication. I have a very specific illness. Lack of self-esteem, depression. I often fall back into my addictions.
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“Out of anger I end up self-destructing, and this also affects the people around me. It’s often difficult to get out of this situation and I isolate myself from the people I love. It’s very difficult for me to move on.
“I practically live alone, locked up at home. I don’t go out anywhere, I don’t do anything productive with my life and sometimes I don’t even feel like getting out of bed.
“Sometimes I don’t even feel like taking a shower. I’ve fallen into very ugly addictions that only make my depression grow more and more.
“It has made me distance myself from people who loved me very much, who love me very much, who I also loved and love very much.
“And that makes me not want to see my family, not want to share things with my children.”
Osvaldo continued: “The anger I feel towards the world and towards many people has to do with me, my illness, my lack of self-esteem, my depression and my bad decisions.
“I was an elite footballer. I was a completely different person, full of security, confidence, and I’m a person I don’t recognize.
“I still don’t understand how I got here, honestly, but it can happen to anyone. I don’t have a stable job, I’ve spent practically all my savings because, as I have no income, money doesn’t last forever.
“But that’s the least of it, because I’ve never been interested in money. I was born poor and I could die poor, and that doesn’t matter to me.
“What hurts me most is that I’m getting poorer in my soul and I’ve always been a good friend and a good companion. I wanted to be a good father, although I often didn’t succeed.”
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Osvaldo won a Serie A title while on loan to Juventus in 2014. He first made his name with Fiorentina, Bologna and Espanyol before moving on to Roma and Saints.
He has played alongside pals in Argentine rock band Barrio Viejo since hanging up his boots.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
