"My life changed: alcohol, depression, cocaine": the downfall of former star striker Mario Jardel

The former Porto and Galatasaray striker reveals how missing Brazil's 2002 World Cup win triggered decades of alcohol, depression and cocaine addiction, nearly killing him before recovery.

Mario Jardel was one of Europe's deadliest strikers in the late 1990s, scoring 168 goals in 175 matches for Porto and 34 in 43 for Galatasaray, with AC Milan and Barcelona circling. But his career imploded when Nova Iguaçu manager Luiz Felipe Scolari left him out of the 2002 World Cup squad—a tournament Brazil won with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.

The 53-year-old told Gazzetta dello Sport this week that the rejection triggered a spiral into addiction. "My life changed: alcohol, depression, cocaine," he said. "I nearly died of an overdose." He began drinking heavily in 2002, tried cocaine during summer 2003 believing there were no doping controls, and became dependent.

After a week without sleep, he overdosed and was saved by a friend. "That's when I hit rock bottom," he recalled.

Jardel's career never recovered, drifting through forgettable spells across Portugal, England, Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria and Australia before ending in 2012. Recovery came slowly through psychiatric help and his second wife Sandra. "Today I'm happy," he said. "My children are proud—not of what I achieved, but how I overcame it."