Emmanuel Eboue reveals going broke has left him close to suicide in mighty fall from Arsenal days

The Sun ^ | 12-24-2017 | Sunni Upal

[neverevergiveup]

FORMER Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue has revealed how going broke has led him to the brink of suicide. The 34-year-old Ivorian used to make millions in the Premier League but is now sleeping on his friend's floor, washing his clothes by hand and hiding from bailiffs.In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Eboue told how he lost a divorce battle that left his wife Aurelie with all of their assets and how he has no contact with his daughters Clara, 14, and Maeva, 12.

"The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children. “In Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign." Eboue played for Arsenal for seven years before moving to Turkish side Galatasaray in 2011. He has represented the Ivory Coast 79 times, scoring three goals in his international career and playing at the World Cup.

[neverevergiveup]

I know many will find it hard to feel any sympathy for this guy, and clearly he made a lot of mistakes with his finances, but there is a backstory. He let his wife handle all his finances, and he would up getting banned from playing for a year (in the later years of his career) because of financial irregularities with his agent. Irrespective of his mistakes, it doesn't seem right that the courts would award all of his assets to his wife, and leave him essentially destitute. Thoughts?

[Robert DeLong]

Things are looking up for him:

Galatasaray rescues ex-Ivorian star Eboue after bitter, suicidal divorce

[lee martell]

Very uneven and unfair. He must not have had any good lawyers, looking out for their own client. This ex-wife is teaching their daughters to be a selfish golddigger who disrespects, uses, then discards her men. What else could they conclude from this example? This is a very different story than the ‘Pro-Athlete turns thug and beats his wife’ we usually hear about.

[lee martell]

That’s good. He will help coach young players in Turkey.
I hope there is some arrangement to prevent his ex-wife from taking that yet to be earned money too.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The US family court systems consider men to be wallets with legs.

[Vlad The Inhaler]

[Robert DeLong]

I guess it depends on what he signed when he was married. Normally I think the new income should not be affected though.

[T-Bone Texan]

He only scored 3 goals in his entire international career.

[Alberta's Child]

I never heard of this guy, but when I saw that he comes from Ivory Coast it didn’t surprise me that his professional career was managed like a Third World sh!t-hole.

[miniTAX]

“He only scored 3 goals in his entire international career.”

He is a defender. His job is to defend, not to score goals.

[neverevergiveup]

“I never heard of this guy, but when I saw that he comes from Ivory Coast it didn’t surprise me that his professional career was managed like a Third World sh!t-hole.”

Yep. Career totally mismanaged, and I would bet he didn't have a ton of education prior to starting his sports career. I have never been a ‘pre-nuptial’ advocate, but at this point I would advice everyone who gets married to have them in place - even though you just ‘know’ that the person you love and are committing to would ‘never’ do anything to hurt you and that you will be together forever.

[yldstrk]

ain’t buying

[neverevergiveup]

He was an excellent defender, and although not expected to score goals, did score 10 in the Premiere League. Scoring 3 goals with the Ivory Coast international team, as a defender, isn’t too shabby either. It would be a little like judging a linebacker or a safety on the basis of the number of touchdowns they score.

[neverevergiveup]

“ain’t buying”

I respect your opinion, but am just curious, what part are you not buying?

[Vlad The Inhaler]

How did the NFL miss this guy?

[outofsalt]

Can’t he coach? Practice team gig? Sad story but, we came here from a communist country and my dad took a job at a 7-11 to feed his kids. He was a law professor prior to communism.

[SmokingJoe]

Three international goals, not three goals altogether

[yldstrk]

Ain’t buying that all his issues are his wife’s fault and he is a martyr.

[neverevergiveup]

“Ain’t buying that all his issues are his wife’s fault and he is a martyr.”

Fair enough, and I agree, but I do think that it's ridiculous that one can lose essentially all of their assets in a divorce because they are the male spouse.

[yldstrk]

You have to SPLIT the marital estate 50/50. So, unless this dude TITLED everything in wife’s name only to protect from creditors or some other excuse, she got her 50% and he got his. The courts have no interest in making the primary earner a pauper, because he is supposed to keep earning and supporting his child/ren. Mom has a duty to support too. Fact of the matter is, men can still earn DIGGING A DITCH immensely more than a woman with her little office job. And furthermore, the fact is, most women do the housework, the laundry, the chauffeuring, the cooking, the doctor visits. NO woman wants a man who whines about money or who demands she splits the bills. If the dude wanted a mommy, he should have stayed home.