- The former England international retired from football in 2018 at the age of 35
- Warnock fell in love with the game in the final seasons of his career
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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has revealed he contemplated suicide after struggling with retirement.
Warnock made more than 550 appearances during his career after breaking through at Liverpool, with the left-back representing 10 clubs and earning two England caps.
The 42-year-old, who was part of the Three Lions squad for the 2010 World Cup, admitted Air sports he had fallen in love with the game in the latter years of his career.
Warnock said he had felt “like a failure” when he retired in 2018 after becoming frustrated with the decline in standards.
The former defender turned pundit said he struggled to find buzz after retirement, with financial pressure caused by an ‘ill-considered’ investment from a financial adviser that left him feeling ‘massively depressed for years’ felt.
Stephen Warnock revealed he considered committing suicide after retiring from football
Warnock started his career at Liverpool and played sixteen seasons at ten different clubs
The full-back admitted he felt ‘like a failure’ after moving down a level during his career
‘I looked back on my career and thought I was a failure. I thought I’d had a terrible career,” Warnock told Sky Sports.
‘I went to Liverpool, then to Blackburn, to Aston Villa and then to Leeds, and I just kept going down. I always remember thinking I was going to let myself down there.
‘After you retire, I think people come out [of football] and just think that life will be fine. But it’s about what’s going to give you that buzz, what’s going to give you that excitement in your life. If you find it quickly, there’s no problem, but you have to find it.’
Warnock added that around the time of his retirement he had lost his marriage and only brief contact with his children.
He attributed a conversation with an old friend, who trained as a counselor because he helped him get out of a ‘rut’.
‘At one point I considered committing suicide. I was in so much trouble I thought I was done until I called him. I tell him all the time that he saved my life,” Warnock said.
The former England international has credited a friend, who trained as a consultant, with helping ‘save his life’
Warnock has become a regular pundit on radio and television since his retirement from football
“Then I started hanging out with my kids more, they noticed a difference in me, and I started to feel like I could look back on my career and not be disappointed with it. It put a positive spin on it and made me realize what I 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 sides in 2005.
The full-back finished as League Cup runners-up with Aston Villa in 2010, while he won League One with Wigan in 2016.
After retiring at the age of 35 in 2018, Warnock has become a regular pundit on television and radio.
For support, call Samaritans on 116123 in the UK or visit www.samaritans.org or www.thecalmzone.net/get-supportor call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988 in the US.