Adrian Mutu regrets drug use, claims it cost him Ballon d'Or in Chelsea career

The 'Football Italia' reported on the 28th (Korean time) that "Mutu said if he hadn't used cocaine at Chelsea, he could have easily won the Ballon d'Or."

As a striker, Mutu was a talented genius that Romania boasted about. After growing up on the domestic stage, he moved to Italy.

Mutu was an explosive scorer at Hellas Verona and Parma and garnered attention, joining Chelsea in 2003 and stepping onto the Premier League stage.

Mutu was an ambitious acquisition for Chelsea. Roman Abramovich, the club owner who purchased Chelsea in 2003, spared no expense in supporting the team to win. Thanks to this, Chelsea gathered star players like Mutu, Hernán Crespo, Claude Makélélé, Juan Sebastián Verón, and Joe Cole to aim for trophies.

Mutu continued his scoring streak as soon as he put on the Chelsea uniform. He made his mark by scoring the winning goal in his debut and netting multiple goals against Tottenham, hitting 4 goals in the first 3 matches of the season. Until then, Chelsea's choice seemed correct.

However, the joy did not last long. Mutu began to find himself sidelined after Claudio Ranieri was dismissed in the summer of 2004 and José Mourinho took over as the new manager.

Moreover, a shocking drug scandal erupted. In October 2004, it was revealed that Mutu had used cocaine. He received a 7-month suspension and a fine, and was released in the winter transfer market. Mutu also experienced discord during his transfer to Juventus.

More than 20 years have passed, but Mutu still regrets that time. In a recent interview with the 'Telegraph' in the U.K., he reflected, "Using cocaine during my time at Chelsea was the worst decision of my playing career. I was alone and sad. However, depression or anything else could not justify my actions."

Mutu also added, "I should have asked for help, but I didn’t. However, I learned from everything in life, and that lesson made me a much more mature and better person. I am proud of that."

Mutu claimed that he could have won the Ballon d'Or. He stated, "I've reflected many times. I believe that because I was one of the world’s best players for over a season, I could have easily received the Ballon d'Or. But I couldn't because of my poor choices. I try not to blame myself for that."

After being kicked out of Chelsea, Mutu transferred to Fiorentina when Juventus was relegated due to the 'Calciopoli' scandal in 2006. He regained his form while wearing the Fiorentina jersey and enjoyed a resurgence in his career.

However, another drug issue arose. In January 2010, Mutu was caught using prohibited substances during a doping test, resulting in a 1-year suspension from matches. Afterward, he returned to his homeland through Cesena and Ajaccio and hung up his boots at the age of 36 in 2015. He is now active as a coach in Romania.

Nonetheless, Mutu considers his time at Fiorentina as the peak moment of his career. He reflected, "Italy made me a national representative. Additionally, after spending dynamic and conflictual times in England, it opened the door for me to continue my career. Although I won the league title twice with Juventus, I was happiest at Fiorentina. I regained my best condition there."

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