Ex-Newcastle United & Watford star reveals truth about his drug addiction | OneFootball

Daryl Janmaat has opened up about his struggles with addiction following his retirement

Former Netherlands international right-back Daryl Janmaat was a well-liked Premier League regular during his six-year spell in England with Newcastle United and Watford.

He missed just seven top-flight games in his two years at St James' Park, and after their relegation to the Championship, moved to Watford, where he spent four seasons and was a part of their run to the 2019 FA Cup final.

Unfortunately, after he departed Vicarage Road and returned home to Holland in 2020, his career started to wind down, and he retired a few years later due to a knee injury and a botched injection thereafter sustained at ADO Den Haag.

Transitioning into a technical manager at the Dutch second-tier side didn't give the 36-year-old the release or structure that playing did, and he's now opened up about his struggles with a cocaine addiction and the impact it's had on his life.

Daryl Janmaat opens up about cocaine addiction

Speaking to Dutch outlet AD, the former Watford and Newcastle full-back spoke about the moments leading to his retirement, and the cocaine addiction he developed afterwards.

"I really wanted to continue, but a knee injury threw a wrench in the works. That knee was incredibly swollen, and after an injection, things went wrong: the wrong needle caused inflammation in the joint. My career was over. I couldn't cope with that," he said.

"I was supposed to get help from everyone, but I was left to fend for myself. It was nothing.

"Suddenly, I lost the structure I'd had for years as a footballer. That was difficult. The cocaine addiction gradually crept in. You start lying to the people you love. That's terrible. I hurt a lot of people.

"I have three children who also hear and read things. I can't and don't want to go into all the details, but my cocaine addiction has caused a lot of damage."

Fortunately, the addiction eventually led him to admit himself to rehab in South Africa in 2023, and after therapy and counselling, he's starting to get back on the right track.

"As a player, everything is manageable. You go from training to training. From match to match. When all that disappeared, and I felt completely out of place as a technical manager at ADO, things went wrong," he continued.

"Cocaine destroys a lot. My family and friends were there for me, but I let a lot of people down. You start lying and distorting things. That's exhausting, but above all, very painful. There were times when I was really, really bad, let's just say that.

"I'm still officially married, but we're no longer together. The relationship wasn't going well, but the addiction obviously didn't help. A lot of damage has been done, although we're on good terms again.

"In a clinic like that, you have therapy and counselling. After that, I went in a different direction. The right direction, fortunately."

Daryl Janmaat's confession is truly empowering

It's often overlooked that the mental impact a career-ending injury can have on a player, especially given that, for decades, football has been all these people know.

There will be other footballers like Janmaat out there who have used addiction as a coping mechanism, and as the former Watford man stated, it can destroy relationships with family and cause a real battle with yourself.

Janmaat's decision to come out and reveal his struggles with addiction is truly empowering, and everyone will be pleased to hear that his relationship with his family is on the mend, alongside the fact that he's on the right track away from drugs, too.

Hopefully, his admission can help others who may be in his position to follow in his footsteps, and realise that, while it may feel lonely having to retire due to circumstances out of your control, there are always people out there ready and willing to help.