Former Premier League star speaks on cocaine addiction with ‘damage done’

He has opened up on his problems after retirement.

Playing a large part of his career at Newcastle United and Watford, he also enjoyed spells in his native Netherlands.

Earning 34 caps for the national team, he spent two years at The Toon Army before moving to Vicarage Road in 2016.

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Eventually leaving The Hornets in 2020, he returned to his homeland with ADO Den Haag, who now play their trade in the second tier of Dutch football.

After retiring, Janmaat has now spoken out about "damage" caused by an addiction to cocaine.

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

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

"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."

He further added: "The problems only started after I retired. 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 technical manager at ADO, things went wrong. Very much so."

He also added how it has affected his personal life:

"I'm still officially married, but we're no longer together," he said.

"The relationship wasn't going well, you know, but the addiction obviously didn't help. A lot of damage has been done, although we're on good terms again."

Janmaat is now running his own gym called High Power Gym and how he overcame being in a "really, really bad" place to turn things around.

"Cocaine destroys a lot. My family and friends were there for me, but I let a lot of people down," Janmaat admits. "You start lying and distorting things. That's exhausting, but above all, very painful.

"Was it life-threatening? Well, I was in deep, very deep. There were times when I was really, really bad, let's just say that.

"I had everything as a player, and I still do, actually. But a lot has happened in the meantime. Too much.

"Addiction is truly a battle, where you're at your wits' end. Literally. You're in a struggle; it really destroys a lot.

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