While most football stars in Europe and America have huge fortunes, some former stars live in difficult conditions that forced some of them to beg, including Paul James, the former Canadian soccer star in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, whose social condition deteriorated until he became homeless begging. On the streets of the British capital, London.
Several years ago, James (59 years old) was the talk of the Canadians and their source of pride, as he led the football team to a rare participation in the World Cup finals that were held in Mexico in 1986.
Rather, he was one of those who were accustomed to being with the national team, after he played 47 international matches, before turning to the world of coaching and supervising the Canada under-20 team for a short period.
đź’Ą The history of Paul James
đź—¨ De portar el seu paĂs fins al Mundial a dormir als carrers de Londreshttps://t.co/iIIYiXjcrx
— Esport3 (@esport3) January 4, 2023
However, the reality of James now is completely different from his glorious past in the world of the round. After the roses were spread for him in the past, he has become today a homeless person spreading the earth and blanketing the sky in the streets of the British capital, London, and begging for a few euros, perhaps to relieve the pains of hunger and warm his ailing body from the bitter cold of London.
Paul James of the Canadian National Soccer team talking to Neil Slatter of Wales during a friendly game at Varsity Stadium in May, 1986 before the World Cup.
pic.twitter.com/0Tea7RIusQ
— Old Toronto Series (@oldTOseries) November 21, 2022
The Spanish newspaper "Marca" shed light on the suffering of James, who was born in Wales before moving to Canada and deciding to represent the national team, then his life was turned upside down since he retired from the game and entered into a spiral of drug addiction.
The man could not get rid of his bad habits, so it affected his reputation and his name collapsed in the world of the game, to live unemployed for 13 years, during which he lost everything he owned and had no refuge other than the streets of London to live and beg in.
âš˝ De jugar un Mundial a pedir dinero en las calles de Londres: la conmovedora historia del canadiense Paul James que remece al fĂştbol https://t.co/HMyB3LxJY7 pic.twitter.com/OECNaexHBg
- El Deportivo LT (@ElDeportivoLT) January 4, 2023
In a previous interview with the British newspaper "Daily Mail", James said in a regretful and frustrated tone that "his football career was everything in his life" before everything collapsed after the adjective "drug addict" stuck to him.
And James considered in the same meeting that "he should not have lost his job because of this capacity. If I put an end to my life, people will discover this brutal truth."
Paul James played at a World Cup, is an Olympian, and went to the same school as Gareth Bale.
Now, he's on the streets of London.
I've spent a lot of time with him over the past few months.
This is his story. https://t.co/RzDGt5Yfai pic.twitter.com/LXLAxFvSQr
— James Sharpe (@TheSharpeEnd) December 31, 2022
"I don't think you should call anyone a drug addict," he added.
And the former international star revealed that this stigma destroyed his career and life, and attached a set of accusations to him that haunted him and made everyone alienate him.
James said, "When they call you an addict, other adjectives come to mind, such as criminal, intimidating, psychopathic, unreliable, avoidable, sick, loser, dirty, lazy, scum, so no one can give you a job." .