Filipe Luis Reveals Drinking Habit Dogged His Early Career

It’s fair to say that Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis has been a bit of a late bloomer in footballing terms, and the man himself has attributed his old affiliation with late nights and drinking as one possible reason for that.

Starting out at Figueirense in Brazil, the left-back passed through Ajax and Real Madrid Castilla before finding his feet at Deportivo La Coruna in his early 20s.

“I had my moments of going out and drinking more than I should have. Luckily, my father brought me back on track,” Luis revealed.

Now, Luis claims to be one of the more grounded footballers in the modern game, however he cannot say the same for everyone in the profession.

“I’m very lucky because, to quote, ‘I don’t work very hard’. There’s lots of pressure but few hours and I’m well paid,” he went on.

“And I do look around and see how regular people live. I know what goes on. So the least I can do is take it seriously, I would not change my job for the world.

“Eighty percent [of players] live in a bubble, especially the young players.

“They believe that if they go around with a branded bag under their arm, 400 euro shoes and eight tattoos, that they will already be stars and that people will respect them.

“They forget the real world out there.”