Galatasaray rescues ex-Ivorian star Eboue after bitter, suicidal divorce

Turkish club Galatasaray have offered to employ their former player and Ivorian International Emmanuel Eboue. The club is reported to have offered the player the role of an assistant coach for their under 14 side.

The story of Eboue’s financial and familial woes was headlines over the weekend after the U.K. Mirror reported that the club-less defender was on the brink of suicide after losing all his earnings in a bitter divorce case.

A soccer website, Futbolarena Turkey, said Eboue will begin work as he aims to obtain a coaching licence. The Istanbul side will rope him in, give him an accommodation and a decent salary as he works his way up the ladder.

UPDATE: Relieved Eboue thanks Galatasaray and ‘dad’ Fatih Terim for job offer

He had a playing stint with the Turkish giants between 2011 and 2016 having transferred from Arsenal. He played 77 games and scored four goals during his stay.

The ex-Arsenal man admitted to being pushed on the brink of committing suicide given the turn of events. “I want God to help me,” he says. “Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

He said a court has awarded all his earnings to his estranged wife adding that he has not seen his children since June this year. He is currently unable to play due to ill-health and also has a FIFA ban around his neck after a row with his agent.

The player said he had no money to hire a lawyer and bailiffs were after him to serve him with documents to hand over his apartment to his wife.

According to him, to evade the court officials, he had resorted to sleeping on a mattress at the home of a friend and that whenever he was home, he turned the lights off and packed all his remaining belongings behind the door.

“I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister. I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come. Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door,” he said.

He admits to being naive with money and signing all documents that his wife presented to him. He adds that he more often than not signed bank documents without knowing exactly what they said or meant. His wife Aurelie has yet to respond to the allegations.