- The former England international retired from football at the age of 35 back in 2018.
- Warnock fell out of love with the game in the final seasons of his career.
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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has revealed he considered taking his own life after struggling to retire from football.
Warnock made more than 550 appearances during his career after breaking through at Liverpool, where the left-back represented 10 clubs and earned two England caps.
The 42-year-old, who was part of the Three Lions’ 2010 World Cup squad, admitted sky sports he had fallen in love with the game in the final years of his career.
Warnock said he had felt “like a failure” at the time of his retirement in 2018, after becoming frustrated by falling standards.
The former defender turned expert said he struggled to find anything of interest after his retirement, and that the financial strain caused by an “ill-advised” investment by a financial advisor contributed to him feeling “hugely depressed for years.”
Stephen Warnock revealed he considered taking his own life after retiring from football
Warnock began his career at Liverpool and played 16 seasons at 10 different clubs.
The full-back admitted feeling ‘a failure’ after dropping levels throughout his career
‘I looked back on my career and thought I was a failure. I thought he’d had a terrible career,” Warnock told Sky Sports.
“I went to Liverpool, then Blackburn, Aston Villa, then Leeds and I kept going down. I always remember thinking he would just drop me there.
“After you retire, I think people leave [of football] and just think that life is going to be okay. But it’s about what will give you that enthusiasm, what will give you that excitement in your life. If you find it quickly, you’re fine, but you have to find it.”
Warnock added that he had lost his marriage and had only had brief contact with his children at the time of his retirement.
He credited a conversation with an old friend, who was training to be a counselor, for helping him get out of his ‘routine’.
“I had thought about taking my life at some point. He was so stuck I thought he was done until I called him. “I tell him all the time that he saved my life,” Warnock said.
The former England international credited a friend, who was training to be a counsellor, with helping him “save his life”.
Warnock has become a regular pundit on radio and television since retiring from football.
“Then I started to interact more with my children, they could notice a difference in me and I started to get the feeling of looking back on my career and not feeling disappointed by it. It put a positive spin on it, it made me realize what had achieved in my career.
Warnock had started his career at Liverpool and was part of the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup winning teams in 2005.
The full-back was League Cup runner-up with Aston Villa in 2010, while he won League One with Wigan in 2016.
Following his retirement at age 35 in 2018, Warnock has become a regular pundit on television and radio.
For help, call Samaritans on 116123 in the UK or visit www.samaritans.org either www.thecalmzone.net/get-supportor call Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 in the US.