Jacob Mellis: What happened to former Chelsea wonderkid? | OneFootball

Jacob Mellis is a name that many football fans in England will be familiar with.

The recently-retired midfielder began his career at Chelsea after rising through the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge.

Competition was fierce at Chelsea and so Mellis ended up signing for Championship side Barnsley in 2012 - the same year the Blues were crowned European champions for the first time.

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He continued to spend the next decade in the Football League, playing for the likes of Blackpool, Bury, Mansfield Town, Bolton and Gillingham.

Earning £8,000 a week and playing in the Champions League during the early stages of his career, Mellis was even being talked about as a potential future England international at one point.

What happened to Jacob Mellis?

Now 32, Mellis has sadly told the Daily Mail that he currently has no home, no car, and no income.

For the past 18 months, he has relied on family and friends for support.

“I spend each day just thinking about where to go really.” Mellis said. “I have family but I don’t really want to rely on them. I want to try to do stuff for myself. It’s been difficult. I try not to think about it too much. I just try and get on with it.

“They just want the best for me. They try to help me as much as they can. Obviously they’ve got their own lives. They get me hotels, or I can stay at their house sometimes.

“From day to day nothing is settled. You think it can never happen to you. I didn’t plan on retiring. It’s difficult.”

Mellis was forced to prematurely end his playing career after a misdiagnosed knee injury was spotted at Southend United last year.

He admits he failed to make the most of his ability and opened up about his issues with alcohol.

“Throughout my career it’s been a thing that’s caused me problems,” he continued. “When you’re drinking you’re not in control of what you’re doing.

“It affects training, managers wouldn’t be happy. I remember I turned up one time to training drunk. I would’ve been 19. Steve Holland [Chelsea’s assistant coach] sent me in. There’s been a few occasions where it has affected me.

“David Luiz didn’t speak too much English, but when we’d be warming up he’d [mimics sniffing his breath] ‘Hey, have you been drinking?’. He would say stop [wags his finger]. Like that.

“Dermot Drummy [Chelsea’s former academy manager] gave me a mentor, Ashley Cole, to stop me from going out and to talk to me. So people did try, I can’t lie.

“I was cocky back then, arrogant. I felt like I should be playing. I feel like it is a good thing if it’s channelled in the right way. But I don’t think I channelled it in the right way.

“If I wasn’t picked or was feeling frustrated I would just go out, go drinking. You’re not messing Chelsea up, you’re messing yourself up.”

Mellis added: “When I was still playing in the league, I didn’t regret anything. I thought I am where I am.

“Since I’ve stopped playing, you have more time to think. You have to regret that. The amount of people that come up to me and say ‘Oh my God , what happened to you?’, that’s when it makes me think about it. These are people that are playing in the Premier League.

“I feel like I didn’t really know the talent that I had. Outwardly I would be cocky. But inside I would be a bit, not nervous, but didn’t really know what I could achieve. I didn’t believe it.”

The former wonderkid admits he’s “drinking as much as I can” in order to “forget about the stress”.

But Mellis has reached out to the PFA, who are in the early stages of getting him the help he needs.

“‘I’ve spoken to the PFA where I try and explain it,” he said. “I felt if you don’t drink every day it's not a problem. But it causes problems in your life. Now I’m trying to rectify that.”