Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has recently said that he was sexually abused as a child. The French footballer, who also represented Juventus and Marseille, revealed that he was subject to abuse and alleged that he was regularly molested at his head teacher’s house at the age of 13 in his new autobiography I Love This Game. Cristiano Ronaldo's Elite Mentality Displayed in Viral WhatsApp Chat With Patrice Evra.

During a recent interview with The Times, Patrice Evra revealed that he was ‘ashamed’ over the abuse and not speaking up about it has been one of his ‘biggest regrets’. The 40-year-old claimed that during his time at Monaco he was approached by police about the headteacher following complaints from other children but denied those allegations.

‘When I first did the book, I didn’t tell the whole story because I was still ashamed and scared about what people will think. Now I want to say it because I don’t want kids to be in my situation and they are ashamed of themselves, thinking they are not brave, because it’s not about being brave, it’s about being mentally ready to talk about it,’ he said.

‘So I just want to make sure kids out there have the courage and do not blame themselves, because I always blamed myself. I’m not shy to say I felt like a coward for many years because I never speak up, it was something heavy in my chest. But I don’t do it for me, I do it for other children.’ the retired footballer added.

During the interview, Patrice Evra revealed that he only recently revealed about the abuse to his mother. ‘A mother does not expect to hear this from their own child. She felt something [was wrong] and had asked me why I did not want to sleep in the teacher’s house. Only now when I am 40 years old do I tell her. It was a big shock for her. A lot of anger. She said she was sorry,’ he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2021 09:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).