Former Bolton, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Motherwell midfielder Sasa Curcic has spoken of how his football career fell over.
The 41-year old Serbian was hailed as the next George Best but his life off-field did not go the way as he planned, losing millions of pounds, and friends along the way.
"My life has changed (since I departed Fir Park). I couldn't take any more. I had two choices - football or suicide," he said.
"I chose football and it cured me. I've always belonged on the pitch.
"After leaving Motherwell, the next few years were a nightmare for me.
"My friends all forgot me, even my old football team-mates. It was just me and the job centre in London.
"I lost my house in Bolton and sold everything I owned. It was a disaster. Money-wise, I lost a couple of million.
"I spent my cash on everything a footballer can - nightclubs, fast cars, shopping - it was a non-stop party.
"I spent a lot of money on friends. I had a 15-strong entourage with me when I lived in London and New York. But they were losers.
"When you are rich, everyone wants to be with you. Then things change."
But Curcic added that he has since turned things around and thanked a certain reality TV show for assisting him in doing so.
"In 2007, I got an invitation to go on the Serbian version of Big Brother," he added.
"I won it with 87 per cent of the votes and that was the turning point of my life. It changed me.
"To win that competition made me a hero in my country. I showed that I was a fighter.
"I had lost everything a couple of years before Big Brother. Everyone had left me and nobody called me.
"But I realised that football can be the doctor. Now I have a new mentality."
