Jardel reveals cocaine overdose and depression after 2002 World Cup snub

Mario Jardel nearly died from a cocaine overdose in the summer of 2003, a downward spiral he directly links to his exclusion from the Brazil squad that won the 2002 World Cup. The Brazilian striker, now 53 years old, opens up in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

Yet nothing suggested such a collapse. Discovered in Brazil with Vasco da Gama and Grêmio, Jardel established himself as one of Europe’s most feared strikers, scoring 267 goals in 278 matches for Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting CP. An exceptional record that should have earned him a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad in Japan and South Korea.

“Even today, I don’t understand why he didn’t select me for Brazil in 2002,” he laments. “I was among the five best strikers in the world. From that moment on, my life fell apart: alcohol, depression, cocaine. I nearly died from an overdose.”

Unsettled by what he perceived as a profound injustice, the Fortaleza native then moved between increasingly lesser clubs — Bolton, Alavés, Ancona — before exiling himself to Australia, Cyprus and Bulgaria. Personal hardships accumulated in parallel: separation from his first wife, custody battles for his children. “I felt like everything was slipping away from me, but the worst was still to come,” he confides.

It was in the summer of 2003 that the fall reached its point of no return. “I knew I could use it because there were no anti-doping controls. I liked it, it made me feel alive, no longer depressed. Once, I didn’t sleep for a week. Then I overdosed. I nearly died. A friend who was with me saved me. That’s when I hit rock bottom.”

Retired from the pitch for around fifteen years, the former Brazilian star now measures the distance he has traveled. “I’m happy. My children are proud of me. Not for what I did, but for how I overcame the ordeal,” he concludes.