"I drank coffee to remove the smell" - Former Real Madrid star Cicinho says he used to show up drunk to training 

Former Real Madrid defender Cicinho has revealed that he has turned up drunk to training several times while playing for Los Blancos. He added that he used to drink coffee and bathed in perfume to remove the smell.

Cicinho spent just one season at Real Madrid after arriving from Sao Paulo in 2006. He was transferred to AS Roma the following summer and went on to spend five seasons with the Italian side.

While speaking to EPTV yesterday, Cicinho revealed he was drunk a few times when he arrived for training at Real Madrid. The Brazilian claimed he did not have to pay for the alcohol as people were ready to offer it for free since he was a Los Blancos player. He said:

"If you ask me if I've ever been to training drunk at Real: yes. And I drank coffee to remove the smell from my breath and bathed in perfume. Speaking of my profession, as a former professional football player, it was easy, I didn't need money to get [drink]. People were happy to give you everything in restaurants."

Continuing to talk about his alcohol problem, Cicinho added:

"At 13 years old, when I tasted alcohol for the first time, I never stopped. I lived in the countryside, in Pradopolis, close to Ribeirao Preto, and on weekends we gathered friends and used to go out in the squares, to the clubs. There was a bar nearby, because I was a minor, I tried to hide it, I asked whoever was older to buy it and I kept drinking hidden from my parents, the police."

The Real Madrid defender's problems continued at AS Roma.

Cicinho added that his drinking habit did not stop after his transfer from Madrid, and it continued during his time at AS Roma.

He claimed they got worse with a ligament injury, but the leaders eventually caught him at the Serie A side. He said:

"Started drinking after training. I did the physiotherapy work, came home around 2 p.m., 2.30 p.m. and only stopped drinking at 4 a.m. Every time I arrived at Roma drunk, the leaders saw it and that made me fall into disrepute."

Cicinho last played for Brasiliense in 2018 before his contract was rescinded following a knee injury.