Jorge Cadete fallen on hard times

Article from today's paper:

Jorge Cadete narrowly missed football's golden age. He also did not reach the career level where a week's salary replicated the man in the street's annual wage.

Still, Cadete did well enough – earning an estimated £3.2m (€4m) during a professional career that ran from 1987 for almost two decades – to be comfortable in his retirement. But a Portuguese television documentary has given a stark insight into the decline of the 45-year-old and offers a reminder of how life after football can go badly wrong.

Cadete cites two divorces and a series of bad investments for his impoverished circumstances. He is living with his parents, with state income of £155 (€189) a week diverted to the bank to pay off debt. In the documentary, a tearful Cadete spoke of the breakdown of his relationship with his 23-year-old daughter.

"I lost everything I invested," Cadete said. "I had a lot of people around me who had no responsibility. The moment you stop playing, things change. Agents forget to call you.

"You always hear players say: 'I've got lots of friends in football.' It's a lie. When you finish nobody wants to know you."

This is a man who earned 33 caps for Portugal and appeared at Euro 96. He was a hero at Sporting Lisbon between 1987 and 1995, with his scoring touch taking him to Celtic, Celta Vigo and Benfica.

In Glasgow, where Celtic were rebuilding under the late Tommy Burns after severe financial mismanagement, Cadete's star shone brightly. He was Scotland's top scorer in the 1996-97 season, despite Rangers claiming the championship.

Celta paid a reported £3.5m for Cadete's services – his Celtic departure was acrimonious – but his career, and scoring, stalled thereafter. A role in Portugal's version of Big Brother hinted at a need for cash but when Cadete made his most recent appearance in Scotland, last year, he talked hopefully of landing a coaching job at Celtic. In hindsight, he had run out of other options.

It is debatable whether a former footballer falling on hard times should be treated any differently to someone from another profession. Yet this is a high-profile case which highlights what can happen to footballers when the circus moves on.

Cadete is not the first and will not be the last to be unable to handle a life beyond playing; Paul Gascoigne is perhaps the obvious name to mention here, while the harrowing tale of the former Arsenal full-back Kenny Sansom also gives an insight into a world many fans will not think could exist when they are cheering on their heroes. As Cadete pointed out, many football friendships are false ones.

Cadete has taken to further education in a bid to make himself employable again. Television is his favoured destination; the next time he appears there, hopefully it will be in altogether more positive circumstances.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jan/29/jorge-cadete-portugal-celtic-state-benefits

...Seems like the old story, bad financial advice and poor investments. Sad to see such a wonderful player in difficulties. I remember he was talking rather hopefully about a coaching job a while ago, wonder if we might have a spot for him working with our strikers?

 

This has been in every paper.

He added me on linkedin a while back. He's regularly asking folk to get him a coaching job.

 

I don't know how he'd fare as a coach but I've said in the past we could do with a coach for our strikers. I imagine they could learn a lot from him, Baldé in particular. Surely there's a small Portuguese outfit looking for a coach in some capacity, no?

Shame.

 

When did Jorge retire, realistically he could have played up until about 2004?

This bit aswell:

I call bullshit, he was playing well after footballs finances rocketed and players got funny money. Was he not on like £12k a week at Celtic?

Still feel sorry for him though. Cracking player and he just seems like a disturbed soul.

 

I knew folk would suggest Celtic should give him a job on the back of this. It is a terrible shame what his happened to the man and it highlights the problems many footballers often face when their playing careers come to an end.

If Celtic were to give him a job it should be because he is the best man for the job and not because he has fallen on hard times.

 

To be fair, nowadays players who are average-world class, can probably retire and live comfortably with their career earnings and maybe open a business and invest here and there.

 

I met Cadette once, really nice guy, stayed for hours signing autographs and talking to the fans.

 

Was there not talk earlier this season about him possibly coming in as a coach?

What a player,so deadly when facing goal,scored all types of crackers and would have ended up a legend if he'd stayed longer..

I find it hard to feel sorry for anyone that blows nearly 3 and a half million,with nothing to show for it..
Hopefully though,he can turn things around for himself again..

 

I am genuinely sad to hear of Jorge's situation but let's be factual. He played one full season for us and * off, no doubt having decided he could do better elsewhere. He didn't even bother tor turn up for pre-season training the following season.

If you don't like the current team you're in, inform the manager you want out and play out of your skin for a move. It won't be the first time an "unhappy" player simply ditches his club but it doesn't make it right.

I'll remember the great goals and feel sorry for the situation he's in. But it ends there for me, sorry. Same with Di Canio and PVH.

Having said that, of course I hope he get his situation sorted and he can move on positively. Isn't he taking some sort of coaching badges? Good luck to him.

 

I can't say I feel too sorry for him. He had a lot of money at his disposal and lost it mainly due to bad investments it would seem.

If he wasn't sure about the people he had working on his behalf, or the investments themselves he shouldn't have touched them. It's better to keep the money in something safe, such as property, than try to make a quick profit, especially if you're not clued in on how the financial world works.

It's unfortunate, but it happens. He gambled, and lost.

 

Very sad read that, especially the situation with his daughter. His money problems sound horrible enough but when you have problems like that on top of them it can make things 100 times worse.

Hopefully gets back on his feet, everyone says it when someone is struggling for work or money but it's true all the same, something will turn up. Sooner rather than later hopefully.

 

You weren't the one that gave Shane Filan advice were you? :smiley-laughing002:

 

:smiley-laughing002: Jesus Christ, he's the posterboy for not throwing piles of cash into property, isn't he?

Obviously there are different ways of doing it. Needless to say, the Filan way is the wrong way!

 

Tough * you spent it all ........live with it....

 

I assume none of his bad investments include a decent hairdresser and some product?

 

i saw this the other the week it's a shame he's ended up like this hope he can sort his life out again.

 

I appreciate what he done for us in his time here, but I have very little sympathy for people who amass that much money throughout their career and then blow it.

£3m should be enough money to see everyone through their life.

 

Tough luck mate.

 

cracking player for us too sorry to hear this hope his life picks up by getting a coaching job maybe our strikers would need his help

 

life is about the choices we make....... he obviously made some bad ones. Maybe if he had stuck it out at one club during his career their fans would help him... but at the end of the day he must have plenty of mates who played football and are worth a few bob and are in a better position to help than the average fitba fan

why not ask yer mates for assistance instead of splashing it across the media.