‘I turned to cocaine after Everton snub’

Former Everton and Holland midfielder Andy van der Meyde has admitted he turned to cocaine and alcohol following the breakdown of his relationship with David Moyes.

The Dutchman spent four years at Goodison Park after joining from Inter Milan in 2005, but quickly fell out of favour and mustered just 20 appearances before being released.

Van der Meyde’s problems on Merseyside began as early as 2006 when he spent a night in hospital amid claims his drink had been spiked. He also had his pet dog ‘Mac’ stolen by burglars.

But in an interview with The Times, the 33-year-old has opened up about exactly how far his life spiralled out of control.

“When I was at Ajax, I never even drank alcohol,” Van der Meyde told the paper. “It was the same at Inter. My team-mates would go out to a club, but I didn’t even know they existed. That changed at Everton.

‘The biggest mistake I made was cheating on my wife. My relationship with the manager went downhill from that point. Everything did.”

Then when he was left without a club, he turned to drugs.

“I started doing cocaine,” he added, explaining the situation spiralled for a few months.