Making it in professional football is no easy task, but it’s not the hardest challenge a player could face. Overcoming one’s demons is a much harder task for any young man – especially one who’s put under immense pressure just because they’ve been blessed with talent. Irish player Keith Treacy is one who cracked under pressure.Treacy grew up in Ireland, where he played football just as most boys do – for fun. He loved to run with the ball, dribble and trick his opponents. It was pure joy. But his talent led him to be a sought-after prospect. Ironically, his ability set him off on the road to self-destruction. In 2005, he was scouted and signed by Blackburn Rovers, who were competing in the Premier League. After moving to England, young Keith was starting to get into trouble. He told his chilling story to Sky Sports.”When I was a kid, my ambition was to play in the Premier League and play for my country. I was not very ambitious with my thinking. By the time I was 21, I had done it.”Keith was doing alright and started to make a bit of money, but his desire to play football was gone. It was only a job he’d do in the mornings before he could go back home. He’d drink more and more as he grew disillusioned with the game and his life.”The higher up you go, the more that gets coached into you. Don’t lose the ball, don’t run with the ball. Pass and move, pass and move. I was a winger who liked to run with it, so that sort of stuff gets knocked out of you. You start to lose what got you there in the first place. Did I ever enjoy professional football? Not really.”No 240 – Keith Treacy. The Irish winger joined #SWFC on loan from Burnley in Mar 2012 and scored an important goal at Brentford, his only in 7 games, on our route to promotion. A Blackburn trainee he also represented Stockport, Preston & Barnsley in his career. pic.twitter.com/pLeowosHHb— A different Wednesday player every day (@SWFCeveryday) April 28, 2021 In his first match for the Republic of Ireland national team, Treacy played against Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. He was supposed to be delighted with the direction of his career. But he simply wasn’t. By his own admission, going to the bar afterwards was more fun to him than the match itself.”The fire really did start to go out in me at that point. I just was not hungry anymore. I was doing well financially, and the drink took hold. I had reached the top of the mountain, and everything hit me all at once. I started to get a bit heavier around the waist.”Treacy’s football career lasted just four more years. It was all downhill. He would return home from training in the early afternoon and start drinking. He would usually be useless the next day, and the cycle would repeat. Blackburn ditched him as his performances declined. He dropped down to the second tier with Preston North End and Burnley. But his problems off the pitch continued.”I played games drunk for Preston. I played games drunk for Burnley. There were comments from the lads that I stank of drink.”Keith Treacy on the alcohol addiction that ended his career at 26 and wanting to help others avoid his mistakes by Adam Bate pic.twitter.com/qBehQIrHTI— Boris Mackey (@boris_mackey) July 22, 2021 It had been a slow descent, but when the end finally came, it was swift. Barnsley had wrapped up their training early that Christmas Day in 2014 to allow the players to enjoy Christmas dinner with their families. That was no good to Keith. He went home and drank a bottle of vodka and a bottle of whiskey. And he had a game the next day.”When I woke up, there was blood and sick all over my sitting room where I had passed out. There was just that much harsh alcohol going into my system that I was vomiting blood. I told the manager that I had flu and could not play. He told me to sit behind the dugout. I jumped on a plane to Dublin, and I never went back.”That was the end of Treacy’s professional career. In the next two years, there were yet more drinking and partying. It all lasted until his savings were spent. As he put it, he was drinking to hurt himself. We’d completely lost control. After a few years, he can finally look forward to the future – and even contemplate making a playing return in his native Ireland.”I am in a much better place mentally and physically. I had four years of therapy. It took a lot of pushing to get me in the therapist’s room, but I was walking out of there with 10 kilos taken off my shoulders every time. Although my body has been through a lot, I am still only 32. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the level in Ireland, but I feel that I can still play here.”The journey has not always been a pleasant one. His addiction has cost him family and a few friends. At least he’s found peace before he lost his life. Today, he tries to use his experience to help young footballers struggling with depression and alcoholism.
