Patrice Evra: Former France star opens up about sexual abuse
Manchester United midfielder Patrice Evra, who has admitted to sexually abusing children as a youth, opened up about his past in an interview with BBC Sport.
Evra, who turned 36 last month, says that the abuse he suffered in his youth was worse than he previously let on to his family.
“The truth is that I had abused a child,” said the player, also of his family.
“You have to talk about the subject because I have a son and a daughter that are like my kids. I don’t have to use [a] word and I don’t want to. When I talk about it, it’s not normal.
“I don’t want my children to know about this but there are things that I feel strongly about.”
Evra, who is of Italian and French descent, also believes he should have been taken to a psychiatrist and had no choice about admitting the abuse he suffered.
“I was 13 years old, 14, 15. I was 15 I remember it clearly. At that time, I didn’t understand it, I still don’t understand it,” he explained.
“I have a little brother and a little sister I have no memories about what was going on when I was 15, and this is why I don’t understand it. I have no idea why it happened and I don’t want to talk about it.”
Evra also admitted he was “terrified” when he saw “the state of my daughter’s body” when he went to check on her.
He added: “I was frightened because I didn’t know what was going on. My daughter was in tears. I was scared that something happened to her.”
Evra, who scored 25 goals in three years for Paris Saint-Germain, says he is “relieved” about his treatment on the pitch, but that he and his agent are “disappointed” about the decision made by French football over his departure from PSG.
He added: