I’m Still Standing: Why Footballers Like Me Vanish, But Never Truly Leave By Rohan Ricketts

I’ve been quiet for a while.

Some of you will remember from my playing days at Arsenal, Spurs, Wolves, and Toronto FC, or others may recognize the name as I played across 4 continents. There will be those that were fans of my powerful The Diary of a Pro Footballer days — those no-holds-barred articles (internationally syndicated through the founder of the LOADED Magazine, James Brown) where I peeled back the curtain on football’s untold truths. The fame, the money, the madness, the fear. You read the stories, you felt the fire, and some of you even lived it with me.

But then life happened. Football moved on. And I moved with it… to Hungary, Moldova, Germany, Ecuador, Thailand, Hong Kong, India.

You name it—I laced up my boots and kept it moving. That’s what we do when the game doesn’t call your name the way it used to. We travel. We adjust. We survive.

But now I’m back. And I’ve got more stories than ever before—real ones.

Unfiltered. Emotional. Brutal. Honest. The kind of stories today’s media are too safe, too polished, or too scared to touch.

Why Now?

Because I’m watching football change. Because I’m seeing young players lose themselves in money, likes, and fake mentors. Because I’m watching ex-pros fade into depression or fade into silence. Because I’m seeing too many people forget what this life actually feels like when the cameras stop flashing and the agents stop calling.

And I’ve been there. I am that guy. The nomad. The ex-star. The cautionary tale—or maybe the misunderstood one. Take your pick.

The Game Gave Me Everything.

And Then Took It All Back.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not bitter. Football changed my life. But it also nearly broke me. From Arsenal to Spurs. Wolves to Toronto. Medellín to Moneague. The highs were high—but the lows were savage. Contracts broken, salaries unpaid, racism ignored, injuries hidden, reputations manipulated.

No one tells you what happens when the dream starts to rot from the inside out.

Well, I will.

What This Blog Is Now

This blog isn’t for the snowflakes. It’s for:

• Young ballers who want to know the real road.

• Parents who want to guide their kids without losing them.

• Ex-pros who feel lost and need to know they’re not alone.

• Football fans who are tired of the fake soundbites and want truth.

• I will also be covering other topics like player and coach development, boxing, relationships, business and global stories within cultures.

Every month, I’ll bring you behind the scenes: 👉 The lies we’re told as pros 👉 The women, the nightlife, the agents, the addictions 👉 The mind games inside dressing rooms 👉 What it feels like to be discarded by the sport you gave your soul to 👉 What comes next—when you’ve still got stories to tell, but no stage

So Here I Am.

Boots still dusty. Voice still sharp. And my pen’s loaded again.

Welcome back to The Ricketts Report. Let’s get it.