Chris Kirkland: ‘I didn’t know who I was, couldn’t remember where home was’

Former Liverpool goalkeeper discusses his battle with a painkillers addiction and the steps he has taken to tackle it

STRUGGLES: Chris Kirkland. Photo: Ker Robertson/Getty Images

Chris Kirkland does not hesitate in pinpointing the moment when he knew things had to change. 

It was in February this year when, struggling with a secret addiction to painkillers that had previously made him consider taking his own life, he found himself lost in Liverpool, the city where he once became English football’s most expensive goalkeeper.