Former Chelsea midfielder Adrian Mutu has admitted to making poor decisions during his football career, including using cocaine while playing for the Blues—a choice that ultimately derailed his career.
Mutu spent just one season in West London before falling out with José Mourinho and receiving an eight-month ban after testing positive for cocaine.
The former Romania star struggled to meet expectations after his high-profile transfer from Italian club Parma. Now, reflecting on his past, Mutu claims he could have won the Ballon d’Or “easily” had he not taken drugs.
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In an interview with The Telegraph, Mutu said: “Taking cocaine during my time at Chelsea was the worst decision I could have made in my career.
“I was alone and sad, but neither depression nor anything else justified my actions. Chelsea had a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, and I think that’s fair.
“I made a mistake, strayed from the path, and paid the price for it. I was caught off guard. I wasn’t used to that life. I was unprepared.
“I’ve reflected on it many times. I believe that for more than a season, I was among the best players in the world, so I could have won it easily. But bad decisions prevented me from doing so. I try not to beat myself up about it.”
Mutu joined Chelsea in the summer of 2003 for £16 million, scoring ten goals and providing seven assists in 36 matches before his abrupt exit.
After leaving Chelsea, Mutu joined Livorno in January 2005 but was immediately sold to Juventus, where he played a limited role due to competition for places. Following Juventus’ relegation in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, he moved to Fiorentina, where he enjoyed his best post-Chelsea years, scoring consistently and forming a strong partnership with Luca Toni.
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However, in 2010, Mutu received another nine-month ban for failing a doping test – for sibutramine use, reported by The Guardian on 19 April, 2010. He later had short stints with Cesena, Ajaccio (France), and Petrolul Ploiești (Romania) before retiring after a brief spell in India with Pune City in 2015.
He later transitioned into coaching, managing clubs like Romania’s U21 team and Petrolul Ploiești before his recent dismissal.
The 46-year-old was recently sacked as head coach of Turkish club Petrolul Ploiești after managing just three wins in 11 matches.
By Habeeb Kuranga
