“I’m not Pablo Escobar”: how Marseille star Sergio Contreras became a drug lord

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The career after the career – it gives professional footballers all over the world a headache. Want to get started in the coaching profession? Want to work as a TV expert? Or a return to ‘normal’ civilian life? Spanish striker “Koke” (40), whose real name is Sergio Contreras, had a completely different idea.

In the autumn of 2019, the former Marseille professional was arrested together with thirty other people from a gang. The accusation: Koke is said to have worked for years as the head of an international drug gang. He confessed and was sentenced to six years in prison this year after a long trial. Now the former professional footballer speaks for the first time about his criminal activities in an interview with the French broadcaster ‘Canal Plus’ – and he shows remorse.

“I am not Pablo Escobar”

“Life is complicated. You have to pay for stupid things,” says Koke. And that’s exactly what his drug deal was: stupidity. “I’m no Pablo Escobar. But when you hear these accusations of ‘international drug traffickers,’ you start to wonder.” wondering what on earth you did.”

Koke admits his crimes. His confession in court and a deal with prosecutors reduced his prison sentence by ten years. Now he swears he has put his criminal days behind him.

He explains how, as a successful footballer, he was able to slip into the drug world with the temptation of money. “As a footballer I earned maybe a million euros a year. In the other field you earn in two months what you can earn in a year of football.” Still, it wasn’t worth it, Koke claims, because: “You’re endangering your life.”

A career as a globetrotter

During his playing career, Koke played in nine different countries. After starting in Spain at FC Malaga, he moved to Greece via Marseille and Lisbon, where he had the most successful time of his career in the shirt of Aris Thessaloniki. Koke also made smaller detours to Azerbaijan, Bolivia and India. He was also active in Germany for six months. At Jahn Regensburg he played in the 2nd Bundesliga and experienced first-hand relegation to the 3rd division in 2013. (sbe)

Source : Blick