In brief
Although Mutu had a promising career at Chelsea, he claims that his drug usage cost him both his contract and the chance to win the Ballon d’Or.
Mutu continued to deal with controversies after Chelsea, which damaged his reputation and ultimately cost him a berth on the national squad.
With brief stints at several clubs, Mutu’s career waned; despite his potential, he never achieved the heights that were anticipated.
From the time of Roman Abramovich to the reign of Todd Boehly, Chelsea has never shied away from spending money and splurging to keep their team young. However, under its previous Russian owner, Stamford Bridge was more of a vault filled with elite talent than a revolving door, but today’s spending binge frequently feels more like a game of roulette.
Abramovich had a talent for figuring out who was worth spending money on, whether it was luring Ricardo Carvalho away from Porto in 2004 or acquiring N’Golo Kante from Leicester City in 2016. His transfer transactions frequently appeared to be influenced by gold. However, even the most astute talent-spotter can make mistakes, and on one occasion, a player with a tonne of potential saw his potential fall apart—not because of what transpired on the field, but rather because of his personal issues.
Adrian Mutu now asserts that during his time in west London, he have the skills to win a Ballon d’Or. But rather of ascending to the pinnacle of football, his career took a wrong turn and crashed like a jet running out of fuel. His once promising trajectory went over a cliff as his cocaine addiction totally ruined his ascent to fame.
Adrian Mutu Claims He Could Have Won Ballon d’Or
The Romanian forward only ever scored six Premier League goals
In the summer of 2003, Mutu participated in the first Abramovich-led hiring spree at Stamford Bridge, which fundamentally altered the club’s trajectory. After joining from Parma, he cost the Blues £16 million. He had an incredible start to the season, helping Chelsea finish second in the Premier League.
However, the Romanian found it difficult to match the Blues’ growing aspirations after that. After Claudio Ranieri was fired in favour of Jose Mourinho, Mutu and the Special One had a brief altercation before it was revealed that the striker had failed a drug test because cocaine had been found in his system.
Since then, Mutu has thought back on that choice, which stemmed from a sense of loneliness. He acknowledges that he cannot defend drug use, but he feels it ultimately contributed to his personal development. In 2025, the 46-year-old told the Telegraph: “The worst thing I could have done in my career was to take cocaine while I was at Chelsea.”
“I was depressed and lonely, but my behaviour was not excused by depression or anything else. I should have sought assistance, but I chose not to. But everything in life teaches you something, and that lesson improved me as a person by making me much more self-aware and mature. And I take pride in that.
Chelsea had a zero tolerance attitude when it came to narcotics. And it seems reasonable to me. I veered off course, made a mistake, and paid the price.
Happy 45th Birthday
Adrian Mutu@adrianmutu#CFC #CFCHeritage pic.twitter.com/k0ATHOSRgT— Chelsea Lookback ⭐⭐ (@1JamesCHELSEA) January 8, 2024
After a protracted legal struggle with the Court of Arbitration for Sport that lasted for several years, Mutu was finally ordered to refund the Premier League club £15 million for breach of contract after the decision cost him his Chelsea contract. The forward’s insistence that he might have “easily” won the Ballon d’Or, however, may have been an even bigger loss for Mutu.
Mutu had previously scored more than 20 goals for Parma prior to joining Chelsea, and he started off quickly in west London. However, despite his obvious talent, he was unable to receive personal recognition. Mutu said, “I’ve thought about that a lot,” in reference to his lost opportunity to win football’s most coveted individual award.
“I think I could have easily won the Ballon d’Or because I was one of the top players in the world for more than a season. But I was unable to do so because of poor choices. I try not to be too hard on myself for it.
The Life of Adrian Mutu After Chelsea
The struggling forward’s next press headline was never far off.
After being fired from Chelsea, Mutu returned to Italy to play for Juventus and then Fiorentina, where he found his scoring ways again. He developed into a vital member of La Viola’s squad, scoring 69 goals in 143 games while creating a deadly connection with Alberto Gilardino.
But as he was beginning to turn things around, another scandal erupted. Mutu was suspended for nine months in 2010 after testing positive for sibutramine, a prohibited weight-loss drug. The prohibition severely damaged his reputation, despite his insistence that it was an unintentional consumption.
Enjoy Adrian Mutu GOALS from 2007-2008 🤩#ForzaViola 💜 #Fiorentina @adrianmutu pic.twitter.com/HMAN9taXb1
— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) April 19, 2020
Although Mutu continued to be an important member of Romania’s national team, his off-field antics finally cost him his spot. Mutu and teammate Gabriel Tamas were found intoxicated prior to training in 2011, prior to a friendly match against San Marino. He was consequently permanently barred from the Romanian national squad by the Romanian Football Federation. Mutu’s international career was essentially over when he later made fun of the team’s coach, Victor Piturca, on social media by sharing a Photoshopped picture of him as Mr. Bean.
The Career Statistics of Adrian Mutu
Club
Games
Objectives
Helps
The Fiorentina
143
69
29
Verona Hellas
63
17
6.
Juventus FC
46
11.
8.
Chelsea Football Club
38
10.
8.
Ajaccio AC
37
11.
0
Calcio Parma (1913)
36
22
Twelve
FC Cesena
29
8.
3.
Ploiesti Petrolul
21
6.
5.
Milan Inter
14
2.
One
FC Pune City
10.
4.
One
Pitesti FC Arges
6.
3.
0
Mures, AS Ardealul Tg.
5.
0
0
1948 FC Dinamo
4.
4.
0
Short stints in less spectacular locations like Cesena, Ajaccio, Petrolul Ploiesti, and Pune City in India marked the end of the Romanian’s wild career. He never achieved the heights anticipated of him, despite sporadic bursts of genius. He declared his retirement in 2016, and although he briefly tried his hand at management, he was never able to fully rediscover his passion for the beautiful game.
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