A former Brazil international has revealed that he would sometimes arrive drunk to Real Madrid training sessions.
In 2006, a then-young and promising Cicinho joined the Spanish giants from Sao Paulo in Brazil, but his stay in the country's capital was short-lived. After making just 32 appearances in a year and a half, the fullback joined Roma in Italy.
Having previously addressed the issues that led to him struggling to live up to his potential, it is well-known that the 17-time Selecao international faced many internal battles, but he has once again talked about them candidly.
Appearing on a TV programme in Brazil, Cicinho admitted to sometimes turning up for training under the influence of alcohol while on the books of Los Blancos, saying he would figure out ways to get rid of the smell.
"If you ask me if I have ever been drunk to train with Real Madrid, I did," he said in a recent interview, according to the Daily Mirror.
"I drank coffee to take the smell away from my breath and I doused myself in perfume. In my profession, as a professional footballer, it was easy. I didn't need money to get a drink, people happily gave it to me in restaurants."
Cicinho also revealed that he tried alcohol for the first time early in his teenage years.
"When I was 13 years old, that's when I tried alcohol for the first time, and I never stopped. I lived in the country, and on weekends we met with friends and went out to clubs and discos," he said.
"Alcohol surrounds you with people who like that lifestyle, and people who really love you are left out.
"I have a 15-year-old son and I am always apologising to him. At that time, he was two years old and he did not even understand it well, but that is what I remember in my head."
