For former Chivas defender Jorge “Chaton” Enriquez, a gold medalist with the Mexican national team at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the spotlight of success and fame as a professional player did not fill the internal void he faced and that led him to try to take his own life three times.

Undoubtedly a harsh truth, but in the words of “Chaton” himself it sounded more dramatic in the interview he gave for the podcast “El Re Portero” hosted by Former Cruz Azul goalkeeper Yosgart Gutierrez, where his professional colleague opened up about all the moral, mental and addiction problems he had to go through when the truck of fame passed by without warning.

“I have dedicated a lot of effort to my mental health, I realize that I was at zero because I was still that frustrated child, with fear, with anxiety and I did not know how to handle it, I made the worst decisions and tried to escape from these situations in the worst way, because I took refuge in alcohol, women and everything mundane, I fell into the darkest networks of soccer,” said Chaton.

In an atypical talk, but full of all the emotions, which represents having crossed "the darkest nets of football", as represented by knowing himself untouchable and master of the world when all the fans were looking for him and his name appeared on the catwalk of success, especially after the gold medal in London 2012 where he was one of the pillars of this historic feat of Mexican football under the orders of Luis Fernando Tena and where they beat the powerful Brazil 2-1.

"It was something I couldn't control and it got out of hand, because when I realized it everything had vanished, especially when you think you can control things that are around you, but that's not true," he said.

Problems with everyone

Enriquez acknowledged that he didn't know how suddenly all this whirlwind of emotions, experiences as a player, fame, money and everything that comes with the bills in your pocket, such as vices and women, caused him to start having problems within his family and even with those around him, both friends and acquaintances, simply because things got out of control.

"Things went very badly for me, I started having problems within the team, with my family, personal problems, with the fans, with society. The consequences are that someone better than you comes along. What was in my hands I did very badly, that's why I retired early," he acknowledged without hesitation.

Depression made him attempt on his life

At just two Years after retiring professionally, the tough former Chivas defender said that suddenly the depression caused by so many problems that came upon him and especially by not knowing how to control the void that comes from no longer being famous, led him to attempt to take his own life three times.

"The process has been very painful, there are friends who know, I entered into depressions that almost led me to death, I had no desire to live and with three suicide attempts, I suffered from alcoholism and entered the world of drugs, I thought I was not going to escape. I had three rehabilitation processes," he said.

For that reason Enriquez sought professional help so that the demons of the ephemeral fame that he fed during his time at Chivas, Leon, Santos Laguna, Puebla, soccer in Cyprus and Spain, were fading from his mind, especially because of the memories left by the gold medal in London 2012 with teammates like Giovanni dos Santos, Hector Herrera, Jesus Corona, Marco Fabian, among others led by the current Guatemalan strategist, Luis Fernando Tena.

“Without a doubt they were very complicated moments, but fortunately we have been moving forward. Jorge Campos once told me, you'll see tomorrow, when spending $100 or $200 pesos will weigh you down, right now you don't feel it, but it will weigh you down. That's why I say that to learn to fly you have to learn to fall, that's why I say, if you're not prepared for the "fuck." (sic), because you're going to fly, everything's cool, the spotlight, the women.”

“All the invitations, they’re going to invite you, in all places you’ll be welcomed, pampered, but when that doesn’t exist, that’s when you have to be ready, because we’re all going to have that embarrassment… Because we’re all going to have that, in whatever profession you have that will always happen, there will be good times and bad times,” he said.

When he arrived at Chivas everything was easier in his life

Jorge Enr Aquez, Unlike other players who have expressed how difficult their early days were to get an opportunity in football: "For me everything was different, because I think it was easier, since I came from a difficult background and when I arrived at Chivas I suddenly had three meals, the opportunity to go to school, to play and a place to live. I didn't ask for more and the only thing I had to do was train and train."