Emmanuel Eboue, the former Arsenal right-back who became a cult hero at the club, has opened up about losing everything after his playing career ended. The 42-year-old Ivorian earned £20 million during his time in football, but his life unraveled following a FIFA ban and a brutal divorce.
The Trigger: FIFA Ban and Sack from Sunderland
In 2016, Eboue was sacked by Sunderland after being banned from football for 12 months by FIFA over unpaid debt owed to his ex-agent, Sébastien Boisseau. He was ordered to pay £790,000 to his former representative but refused. The ban ended his professional career. Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce said at the time: 'Why have we sacked him? He can't come to training, he can't even be in the ground... This could finish his career once and for all if he's not careful.'
Divorce and Financial Ruin
Eboue believes the ban triggered his divorce from his first wife, Aurelie Bertrand, with whom he shares three children. Speaking on The 5th House Podcast, he said: 'They wanted me to give them €1 million, so I said I would prefer to stop playing football than give them that money. My ex-agent went to FIFA and then FIFA banned me for one year. I moved back to Turkey to hide, and that's when the divorce started.' He added: 'I lost everything in my life in England. I had three houses, a lot of cars. I lost all of them and I lost money also.'
Mental Health Struggles
The turmoil had a massive impact on his mental state. Eboue said: 'I was very, very down. I was living somewhere that the press knew where I was living. So every day the press was there, so I had to cut up boxes and put them on the windows because I didn't want them to take pictures of me. I didn't even eat.'
Strained Relationship with Son
One of the most heartbreaking elements is the broken relationship with his 17-year-old son Mathis, a promising young player at Chelsea. Eboue revealed they have not spoken for nearly five years. 'When he signed for Chelsea, I wasn't there. My mum didn't call me also, so I didn't even know. Inside, in my body, I'm crying because I want to be closer to my son to help him.'
Rebuilding His Life
Eboue has since remarried and found a new purpose. 'I lost everything, but thank God now I feel better. I have a new life with my wife Stephanie now. She understands what is going on in my life, and she helps me a lot.' He now coaches and mentors young players in Ivory Coast and works for the Confederation of African Football (CAF). 'Even now I tell them what happened to me because I don't want them to have the same problems,' he said. He hopes one day Arsenal or Galatasaray will give him a role.
