(London) “When I was in my twenties, alcohol served as a release for me,” admitted in a podcast the former captain of the England team Wayne Rooney, confronted with fame at a very young age and very strong pressure.

“I would go home, spend a few days at home and not go out. I was drinking almost until I passed out,” said the former English football wunderkind, recently named coach of second division Birmingham.

Rooney was thrown into the professional deep end at the age of 16 with Everton, became an England international at 17 and joined the great Manchester United team at 18, where he became their all-time top scorer .

“I didn’t want to be among the others because sometimes you feel embarrassed. Sometimes you feel like you’ve let people down and at the end of the day I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Rooney said in a podcast started by ex-rugby league player Rob Burrow suffering from Charcot’s disease.

“When you don’t accept help and advice from others, you can find yourself at rock bottom, and that’s what happened to me for a few years. Fortunately, today, I am no longer afraid to talk to people about my problems,” said the 38-year-old former striker.