FORMER Bolton striker Mario Jardel has confessed to staying awake for SEVEN DAYS during a cocaine binge before joining the Premier League side.
The ex-Brazilian international admitted to overdosing on the Class A drug in 2002 while at Sporting Lisbon – just one year prior to his move to the Reebok Stadium.
Three years ago, Jardel admitted to drug-taking on holiday in between seasons, saying he had entered the world of drugs out of curiosity.
He insisted in the interview that he was now free from substance abuse and that cleaning up his act was largely down to his wife.
The 48-year-old, whose decline began ahead of his August 2003 move to Bolton after spells at Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting, made his startling cocaine overdose confession during a celebrity version of Big Brother on Portuguese TV.
Jardel, who launched a short-lived political career in his homeland after retiring from football, shocked viewers and his fellow housemates by admitting: “In 2002 I had an overdose and was awake for seven days using cocaine.
“For those of you watching me, it’s no example. I hired women, I thought nothing was going to happen to me, that everything was okay.”
Revealing he still has to be vigilant to avoid a relapse, he added: “This is a daily struggle.
“I’m very conscious of this problem I have.”
Jardel, who quit the game in 2011, was out of action for most of the 2002-03 season before his move to Bolton after injuring his knee in a swimming pool fall during a Christmas break in Brazil.
During his indifferent time at the English side, Jardel was loaned to Italian side Ancona before signing for Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys.
Continuing his confession on the Portuguese TV programme, he added: “I fell and it took me a long time to get back up.
“I don’t have words to thank you for the opportunity you’re giving me.
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“What’s important is that I’m alive and today I can say ‘no to drugs.’”
The retired footballer, whose prolific goal-scoring early on in his career led to him being capped by Brazil at the age of just 19, also confessed to suffering depression.
He said: “It’s not easy to fight against depression and the lack of friends after stopping playing.”
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