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Former Chelsea forward Adrian Mutu believes his cocaine addiction cost him the Ballon d'Or. The Romanian forward arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2003 from Parma in a reported £16 million deal.
Mutu enjoyed an impressive debut campaign but fell out with new manager Jose Mourinho the following year. He eventually failed a drug test, which cost him his Blues contract.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Romanian insisted that losing himself to drugs was the worst decision in his career.
“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. I should have asked for help and I didn’t. However, you learn from everything in life, and that lesson made me a better person – much more mature and self-aware. And I’m proud of that,” said Mutu.
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He continued:
“Zero tolerance – that was Chelsea’s policy regarding drugs. And I think that’s fair. I made a mistake, strayed from the path, and paid the price for it."
Mutu added that he could have won the Ballon d'Or had he not strayed from the path.
"I believe that for more than a season, I was amongst the best players in the world, so I could have won it (Ballon d'Or) easily. But bad decisions prevented me from doing so. I try not to beat myself up about it,” he said.
The player was embroiled in a lengthy conflict with the Blues after his contract was terminated. Mutu was eventually ordered to pay back the London giants in millions for a breach of contract.
Has any Chelsea player won the Ballon d'Or?
Unfortunately, no player from Chelsea have won the Ballon d'Or in the history of the award. Frank Lampard came closest in 2005 when he finished second in the race behind Barcelona's Ronaldinho.
Jorginho finished third in 2021, with Lionel Messi winning the top honors and Robert Lewandowski also securing a podium finish. However, the London giants have won the inaugural Men's Club of the Year award, handed out by France Football, in 2021.
Cole Palmer was the only Chelsea player in the 30-man shortlist for last year's Ballon d'Or and finished 25th in the final rankings. Manchester City's Rodri won the award ahead of Vinicius Junior. Former Blues Women's team manager Emma Hayes won the 2024 Women's Coach of the Year Award.
