The former Hull City and Brighton star joined Sunderland after the transfer deadline had passed owing to his free agent status. Following the move to Wearside, Connolly opened up on his struggles with alcohol addiction in a candid interview with the club.
Connolly said he wanted to speak out to offer support to anyone else who might be suffering as he embarks on a new chapter in his career and life. The attacker revealed that he had spent a month in a treatment clinic and opened up on the rise and fall of his career following his spectacular Premier League introduction against Tottenham Hotspur five years ago.
After the interview with Sunderland went live, Connolly experienced much support from supporters, with the player taking the time to thank fans on social media following the interview.
On social media, Connolly wrote: “Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support they’ve shown me, if sharing my story has helped even just one person, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.”
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support they’ve shown me, if sharing my story has helped even just one person then I’ve achieved what I set out to do❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/beE4Bu5eoa
— Aaron connolly (@aaronconnolly24) October 12, 2024
During the interview with Sunderland, Connolly said that he had lost his love of the game as he battled the illness and that seeking help had been the toughest thing he had ever had to do.
“You go from the U23s and get plaudits there and you get shot into the Premier League,” Connolly said. “My phone was blowing up, social media… it was one of the best days of my life [scoring a brace against Spurs] but also one of the worst because the following five years came from that.
“I stopped working, stopped doing the things that I should have kept doing. I started to believe the hype and I didn’t turn into a good person after that, I was tough to be around, no one could tell me anything. I didn’t know how to deal with it, to be honest. I didn’t feel like I had that authoritative figure to keep me grounded.
I always say to my parents that I started to live the life of a footballer without the football side of it and that was the hardest bit to admit at the time—that I wasn’t doing all the things that had got myself in that position. It hurts to look back at it and speak it. I had problems off the pitch and it was highlighted a lot. I lost track of myself, lost track of why I was playing football, chasing things that I was never chasing before that Tottenham goal.
“It was obvious I had a problem with alcohol. I had my parents who never drank and would always advise me whenever I went out to stay away from it because of addiction to alcohol in my family. I didn’t listen, it got me in a lot of trouble. It became something I relied on. My buzz used to come from football, scoring goals, winning games—it got to a point where the buzz was more from drinking alcohol.
“I used to look forward to the games finishing so I could have time to go and get drunk. I decided at the end of July that it was too much, I couldn’t do it, Live the way I was doing. It was killing the people around me, family and friends. Mainly, it was killing me. I had one of my best seasons at Hull last season but off the pitch, my life was a mess.
“The manager there looked after me and always tried to help, but it got to the point where my life was unmanageable. I made the decision that I needed to go to a treatment clinic, and I was there for a month. It wasn’t about the football, it was about my life. Everything was falling apart.
“It’s important for me to talk about this because I really wish that there had been a person I could listen to, or an interview or a podcast, and talk about doing this [going to a treatment centre]. I hope it will help people – I had everything a young boy could dream of but I couldn’t get hold of my addiction. It was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. It was the best and worst month of my life. I learned so much.”
Connolly is expected to make his Sunderland debut this month after impressing staff in training since his arrival, scoring on his first appearance in red-and-white in an under-21s fixture during the international break. The 24-year-old said it was a goal that meant a huge amount to him and that had rediscovered his love of the game in recent weeks.
“It’s been a whirlwind, I’ve signed for a massive club,” he said. “I’ve seen it from being around the city, I’ve seen people with Sunderland crests tattooed. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do—play for a club for this size—and I’m grateful for the opportunity
“I can’t describe how good it has been to be back playing football. I’ve had a tough few months so to be around a good group of people and with a football at my feet, and I couldn’t be happier. I feel refreshed, like the young kid who came to England. I have a purpose, I don’t have a weight on my shoulders again. I want to get this club to the Premier League.”
