Jermaine Pennant revealed that he lost over £10m in winnings and even forgot he owned a home due to having ADHD.
The 39-year-old former footballer, who described himself as “financially illiterate”, said he squandered his fortune on dubious investments and bad actors who attacked him.
speaking to SunJermaine also recounted how he lost three houses and filed for bankruptcy due to his money problems.
Candid: Jermaine Pennant has revealed he lost over £10m in winnings and even forgot he owned a home due to having ADHD
He said: ‘In all honesty, I could have been a billionaire and still screwed it up. I have made so many mistakes but I didn’t know how to deal with things and I didn’t think about the consequences of my actions.’
Jermaine revealed that last year he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder along with PTSD related to childhood trauma.
The athlete’s ADHD caused him to forget he owned a house in Cheshire after leaving Liverpool for Spanish side Real Zaragoza.
However, he was still paying the interest-only mortgage on the £1.2m property he reportedly bought on the advice of a repairman, who he says ripped him off.
Struggles: The former footballer, 39, who described himself as ‘financially illiterate’, said he squandered his fortune on dubious investments and bad actors who attacked him (pictured with girlfriend Jess Impiazzi in November 2022)
ADHD is a behavioral condition defined by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
The symptoms usually appear at an early age and become more noticeable as the child grows older.
Most cases are diagnosed in children under the age of 12, but some people are not diagnosed until adulthood.
According to the National Health ServiceThe causes of ADHD are unknown, but the condition has been shown to run in families.
Jermaine also detailed his lavish spending, saying he wouldn’t think of splurging on nights out and once footed a £25,000 bar bill for friends during a trip to Las Vegas.
Jermaine said, “In all honesty, I could have been a billionaire and still screwed up.”
The footballer, who lives in Surrey with his girlfriend Jess Impiazzi, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year with debts of more than a million pounds.
Jermaine also received a tax bill of over £1m in 2018 which he said he has disputed and still doesn’t know what it’s for.
He said: ‘That’s what led to bankruptcy more than anything else. I had no idea what I was earning and what was coming out of my account.’
Jermaine said he regrets his past behavior with money and advises younger players not to make the same mistakes.
The Nottingham-born Jermaine burst onto the scene as a teenager and became a £2m signing aged just 15, making his Arsenal debut as a 16-year-old.
He added: “I’ve made so many mistakes, but I didn’t know how to deal with things and I didn’t think about the consequences of my actions.”
He scored a hat-trick on his full Premier League debut aged 20. He later admitted that he partyed until 6 am on game day and won the match to his team’s hangover.
Despite his extraordinary start, he only made five full starts for Arsenal in seven years and was loaned out to various clubs where his personal problems continued.
In 2005 he was jailed for three months for drink driving while disqualified after crashing his friend’s Mercedes into a light pole.
After 30 days in prison, he was released and his club Birmingham City supported him. He became the first player to play in the Premier League with an electronic ankle tag.
His football career continued with a big money move to Liverpool, earning him even more cash and even a Champions League winner’s medal before falling out of favor.
Condition: Jermaine revealed that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year along with PTSD related to childhood trauma.
On a highly paid stint at Spain’s Real Zaragoza, he forgot he had a Porsche and left it with a key on the seat outside a station.
After the penny fell out, he later picked it up with five months worth of parking tickets to pay.
After retiring from football, he earned cash on the latest series of Celebrity Big Brother and media engagements, including one occasion when he was accused of being drunk on Sky Sports News.
Jermaine’s media company, Jermaine Pennant Ltd, which was created following his television appearances on shows like Celebrity Big Brother, dissolved in 2020.
Property: Athlete’s ADHD made him forget he owned a house in Cheshire after leaving Liverpool for Spanish side Real Zaragoza
In his 2018 autobiography, Mental: Bad Behaviour, Ugly Truths and the Beautiful Game, Jermaine made several confessions, including that his dog killed his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Metcalfe’s cat.
He also recounted how he and former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole had threesomes with girls.
Jermaine insisted that he now regrets writing the book, saying it was another case of following bad advice and not thinking about the consequences due to his ADHD.
The star said his biggest regret was being jailed for three months in 2005 for drink driving while prohibited after he crashed into a light pole while going over the legal limit and dragged the pole under his car.