"Drinking myself to death" Ex-Bundesliga star speaks openly about his alcohol addiction

Once a successful striker for Eintracht Frankfurt, Martin Fenin is now desperately battling his alcohol addiction. After another relapse, the ex-professional speaks openly about his problems.

Martin Fenin enjoyed a successful time in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, but in his private life he is facing his next major setback. The now 37-year-old Czech played for the Hessians for three and a half years from 2008 to 2011, scoring 16 goals and providing 14 assists in 96 games. During this time, he also made 16 appearances for the Czech national team. He then played for 16 months in the second division for Energie Cottbus before changing clubs several times, repeatedly interrupted by periods in which he was without a club.

His gradual decline is also due to his alcohol addiction, for which he recently spent three months in a rehab clinic. "I showed then that I can stop - I'm a sportsman after all," he toldBild. But the efforts were apparently in vain: "Yes, I'm drinking again. Every day. Ever since I got out of the clinic, consistently."

His wife left him after numerous relapses and took their three-year-old daughter with her. Fenin no longer has any contact with them, which encouraged his relapse: "I watch YouTube all day and drink Jägermeister to combat the sadness. I love my daughter so much ...", he tells Bild. It sounds like a cry for help.

Fenin currently has no job and lives off the savings from his professional career. He allegedly spends around 3,500 euros a month. As for his future, he paints a bleak picture: "Sooner or later, I'll drink myself to death." In 2018, the former professional footballer was already in a coma for several weeks due to problems with his pancreas.