Great footballers who failed a doping test

Doping in sports has always been an issue, and heavily frowned upon. A recent incident involving young Chelsea talent Mykhailo Mudryk proves the problem is still ongoing.

The Chelsea forward recently hit positive for meldonium, a banned substance since 2016, which is known for helping athletes with endurance, reports OneFootball.

"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened," shared Mudryk, who has been preceded by several other great footballers.

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The French midfielder, who rescinded his contract with Juventus on November 30th, 2024, tested positive for testosterone back in 2023. He saw his four-year ban reduced to 18 months so he could play in 2025, as a free agent.

Pogba is a big name, but he cannot be compared to Diego Maradona. The former Argentina star tested positive several times, most famously at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where he was caught for the banned substance ephedrine and sent home as a result.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was once a more than talented footballer who played for FC Barcelona, Brescia and Roma, among other clubs. His time in Italy, however, was a career blow when he tested positive for nandrolone, which led to a four-month ban.

In 2001, Edgar Davids was also suspended for nandrolone use. The Dutch midfielder was playing for Juventus at the time and had to spend several months on the sidelines and pay a fine.

Jaap Stam was also suspended when he was at Lazio in 2002 after testing positive for...yes that's right, nandrolone.

Fellow defender Rio Ferdinand theoretically did not test positive for doping, but missed a drug test in 2003, resulting in an eight-month ban from football.

Another big name on this list is former Romanian striker Adrian Mutu, who was playing for Chelsea when he was caught using cocaine. The striker was given a seven-month ban, but later tested positive again when playing for Fiorentina.

Next up is former Portuguese great Fernando Couto, who tested positive for nandrolone when playing for Lazio in 2001 and received a ban.

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Kolo Touré enjoyed a wonderful career, but was sidelined six months in 2011 during his time at Manchester City when he failed a doping test after reportedly taking his wife's diet pills.

Defender Mamadou Sakho was playing for Liverpool when he tested positive for a fat burner. UEFA, however, later dismissed the Frenchman's case, who received compensation.

One of the more recent doping cases was that one of André Onana. The Cameroon goalie was suspended for nine months at Ajax after a failing a drug test for furosemide.

Portugal's Abel Xavier was a man of crazy haircuts, but also a doping case in 2005, when he tested positive for methandrostenolone. Xavier was playing for Middlesbrough, who suspended him for eighteen months.

Mark Bosnich was caught for cocaine use in 2002, after which he was released by Chelsea and handed a nine-month ban.

Samir Nasri failed a doping test after receiving a vitamin booster from a doctor. The Frenchman was playing on loan for Spanish Sevilla at the time and was suspended for eighteen months.

Paolo Guerrero is a Peruvian football legend, who failed a drug test in 2017 for benzoylecgonine. He initially received a ban which would have ruled him out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but he eventually played at the tournament and even scored against Australia.

Finally, Jake Livermore tested positive for cocaine at Hull City in 2015. The defensive midfielder was suspended but had reportedly used the drug after the death of his newborn child. The FA subsequently decided to lift the ban.

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