A little over six years after he departed Arsenal, Emmanuel Eboue has fallen on desperately hard times.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Eboue disclosed that he lost the majority of his assets in a divorce from his wife Aurelie. He currently resides between the house which he and his ex-wife bought in Enfield and the floor of a friend's living room.
The 34-year-old has been ordered to sign ownership of the house in Enfield over to his wife. It's three weeks since the deadline for Eboue to ink his signature passed.
I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister.
I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come. Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door.
My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.
I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.
The Ivory Coast international is currently unable to play football due to a medical condition, one which was discovered while he was undergoing a medical at Cypriot side Turk Ocagi Limassol earlier this year. Last year, he was his with a 12-month ban by FIFA for failing to pay fees to his agent.
Eboue says that he was naive with his money, taking bad advice which cost him the millions he earned while playing for Arsenal and Galatasaray.
Along with the friend who allows him to sleep on her living room floor, the help of former Newcastle footballer Trésor Lomana LuaLua has also kept Eboue afloat.
He now says that he would accept help from any of his former clubs.
I would accept help from anywhere but if my previous club wants to help me then I would be very, very happy. Maybe I could help the young players?
The PFA helped me when I had my problems with my agent. If they gave me a job, even if it wasn’t a big, big job.
Maybe I’d see some of the people I played with or against and I’d feel embarrassed. But I would cope.
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