Michael Johnson was predicted to have a great career. But instead of great deeds on the pitch, the youngster from ManCity only experiences depression and alcohol problems.
Money, the limelight, passion as a profession: For many, “professional footballer” is an absolute dream job.
But life as a highly paid kicker also brings with it many dark sides – and not all talents who knock at the top level are actually predestined for the million-dollar business.
One person who never got along with the hype about his person is Michael Johnson. The now 32-year-old Briton was once a promising youngster in the service of Manchester City. At the age of 19, more than a few coaches and experts even saw a future world star in the attacking midfielder.
For example, the former England national coach Sven Göran Eriksson. He described Johnson back then as “the most complete young player I’ve ever seen.” According to ex-team-mate Didi Hamann, Johnson was even better in his younger years than Steven Gerrard and Michael Ballack were at the start of their great careers.
“Tried to escape my emotions.”
But Johnson did not have the career he had expected after his Premier League debut in 2006, and fate had a completely different path in store for him. Several serious injuries, depression and alcohol problems paved his way before he turned his back on football at the end of 2012 at the age of 24. A little later he said: “I would be grateful if they would leave me alone now for the rest of my life.” Since then, things have become quiet around the ex-kicker, who played 37 Premier League games.
Now, many years apart, he gave an interview and looked back on his fall.
“I handled things the wrong way. I had too much free time,” Johnson told The Athletic. He went out and drank – that was his way of dealing with emotions, he said. “I tried to give myself a temporary high, to feel good for a short time. I tried to escape my feelings by drinking.”