Eboue, currently unable to play football because of mental illness he's struggling with, says he has been pushed to the brink.
At the peak of his career with Arsenal he became a fans’ favourite. He was part of the side that faced Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final. Eboue remains a cult-hero at the Emirates Stadium, as much for his happy demeanour and his goal celebrations as the ability which saw him help the Ivory Coast reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final.
That joy, however, has been replaced by tears – and a deep fear of the future. Eboue has recently lost a bitter divorce battle, with his wife Aurelie awarded all of their assets. He had to hide from cops and bailiffs after being ordered by a judge to transfer his remaining Enfield home to his wife. He also faced a heartbreaking estrangement from his three kids, who he has not seen since June. If that wasn't enough, the ex-Arsenal defender has been grieving after the cancer death of grandfather Amadou Bertin – who raised him – and the loss of his brother N’Dri Serge, killed in a motorbike accident.
It is now three weeks since a deadline passed for Eboue to surrender ownership of the North London home he used to share with Aurelie. A judge will sign the transfer if Eboue does not do so. The player and his wife lived there in happier times before Eboue bought a mansion – which Aurelie has now put on the market. He said: “I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister. I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come. Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am. My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared. I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.”
Eboue's dream of a Premier League return with Sunderland evaporated last year after he was hit with a 12-month ban by FIFA after a dispute with a former agent. Eboue says he was never given guidance to manage his finances. Insisting his wife looked after most of their affairs, he admits being “naive” with money. He also claims he was beset by a string of people who gave bad advice and lost him huge sums.
He says: “I look back and say ‘Emmanuel, you have been naive... why didn’t you think about that before?’ It is hard. Very, very hard. The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children. In Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign. She is my wife. The problems with FIFA were because of people advising me. People who are supposed to care. But it was because of them FIFA banned me.”
He splits his time between the Enfield house and the home of a confidante he calls his “sister” – Yasmin Razak. He often sleeps on a mattress on her living room floor. Eboue is devastated at spending Christmas apart from his own kids, daughters Clara, 14, and Maeva, 12, and son Mathis, nine: “It hurts me a lot. They used to call me. But now, no contact. It pains me to be alone without them.”
While Eboue wants to return to playing one day, he would jump at the chance of working with former club Arsenal or players’ union the PFA. He says: “I would accept help from anywhere but if my previous club wants to help me then I would be very, very happy. Maybe I could help the young players? The PFA helped me when I had my problems with my agent. If they gave me a job, even if it wasn’t a big, big job.”