‘I was Premier League’s youngest ever player but turned to drugs and felt suicidal’
Former Fulham defender Matthew Briggs has revealed his horrific journey from becoming the Premier League’s youngest ever player to reaching rock bottom.
Briggs made his first-team debut for Fulham against Middlesbrough in a 3-1 defeat at the Riverside Stadium in May 2007, making him the Premier League’s youngest player ever. His record held for 12 years until Harvey Elliott made his Fulham debut in May 2019.
Fast forward 17 years, and a 33-year-old Briggs, who retired from football last summer after spells with Millwall, Colchester United, and in the non-league, has revealed how his star-studded start quickly faded as he turned to alcohol and drugs, unable to fulfil his football potential and sparking a serious mental health battle.
Briggs spoke with Rising Ballers about his difficulties. He stated, “I lost my enthusiasm for the game. I was slipping farther and further down the league just because my brain wasn’t in the right place, and I was getting injured because I wasn’t taking care of myself.
“Alcohol has negative effects on mental health.”The bottom of the bottle will not aid you. I disconnected from friends and family because I felt I had let them down. I used drugs and drink to dull it all.
