Martin Hinteregger: "Lots of players becomes alcoholic, but nobody talks about it"

• Sports

Austrian soccer player Martin Hinteregger said there are a lot of colleagues who have problems with alcohol, as he himself has sometimes been pinched in such situations. He explained: "Many professional soccer player have either become addicted to alcohol or have completely collapsed.

Probably about a third of the total. And that's a scary number, because it's something no one ever talks about in their career. The more money you have, the more worries increase. And the more you stress, the more unhappy you become.

There are complicated times, where you can end up in a situation where you are in very bad shape and need to seek help. More and more people want to have a piece of the pie and have their say in this regard. In football there is a lot of money and that's why for me it will always be one of the ugliest businesses in the world." Many champions have seen their careers ruined by alcohol: among them George Best, Paul Gascoigne, Fabian O'Neill, Adriano.

Hinteregger's last three season

On January 31, 2019, the last day of the winter transfer market, Hinteregger is loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season. He made his debut in the Bundesliga home game, drawn 1-1 against Borussia Dortmund on 2 February.

In May he is one of the penalty takers of the Europa League second leg semi-final lost at Chelsea; on the occasion he gets the shot saved by Kepa. On 1 August 2019, it was purchased outright by Eintracht Frankfurt for 12 million euros, with a five-year contract.

On 23 June 2022, despite having another 2 years of contract with the club, he announced his retirement from football at just 29 years old, on 7 July 2022 after his retirement from professional football, retracing his steps he went to play in the fifth Austrian league with Sirnitz team in which he played as a child, playing the role of attacker no longer defender.