Cicinho played for Real Madrid in the Eternal City and has 15 caps for Brazil. In a recent interview, the 45-year-old spoke openly about his severe alcohol addiction.
At the age of 13, Cicinho was introduced to alcohol at a party and became “hooked”; the addiction continued for years, being almost as dominant in his life as football.
“I destroyed myself with alcohol,” the former defender told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I tried beer and fell in love with it as if it were a woman. The older I got, the more I drank.”
Unbelievable, but true: according to the defender himself, Cicinho managed for a long time to balance excessive drinking and long nights of partying with his career as a professional footballer, especially during his periods in Roma and Madrid.
“In Rome, I set a personal record in one day: 70 beers and two packs of cigarettes,” recalls the former right-back.
He says he kept this lifestyle and uncontrolled drinking a secret, even from Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello, because his form on the pitch remained good.
“I was always at home. I would go to bed at four in the morning and show up for training at eight, still drunk,” Cicinho confessed. “Before I left, I would drink three or four cups of coffee and smoke a pack of cigarettes to mask the smell of alcohol. And on the pitch, I actually played well.”
Knee problems and residual toxins in his body are thought to have caused depression, further deepening his difficulties.
In 2012, Cicinho returned to Brazil, where encouragement and support helped him begin therapy.
Today he lives in Sao Paulo, is married and has a five-year-old son, who he jokes is “destined” to become a Roma fan.
Cicinho now works as a television commentator and has also served as an evangelical pastor for the past ten months. He has been sober for 14 years.
