Sad story. Within a year, Daryl Janmaat went from the football field to a rehab clinic.
He has had a rich career. He worked at Heerenveen and Feyenoord, then went to England. He played two seasons in Newcastle and four in Watford.
His home club is ADO Den Haag, where he started and ended his sports career. And in the summer of 2022, he immediately started there as sports director.
“The perfect step for me. In this position, I will be able to make good use of my experience and contacts that I have gained during my professional career. Although I still had one more year on my contract, I began to doubt whether I wanted to continue as a player. My ambition is to remain active in the football world, but in a different role,” he reveled as he hung up his football boots on a nail.
However, it was later revealed that he ended his active career due to problems with drug addiction. He didn’t last too long in an executive position either. And this year he hit rock bottom.
He recently went missing and the police had to launch a search for him. He was eventually found drunk and under the influence of drugs, causing a huge uproar in his country.
According to local reports, after the incident, Janmaat was taken to a rehab clinic where the country’s richest people are hospitalized. According to other sources, he was admitted to a specialized rehabilitation facility in South Africa.
Wherever he is being treated, his bitter fate underscores the wider issue of substance abuse and mental health issues in sport. And it confirms the importance of support systems for athletes. Both during and after an active career.