Ex-footballer Paul James lives as if from a movie. The Canadian experienced success and participated in the World Championship, and because of poverty, he slept on the streets of London for a long time.

Paul James, from the World Cup to drugs and poverty

A 47-time Canadian international, James slept on the streets after struggling with drug addiction and poverty. He has been unemployed for 13 years and has not had a permanent home for six years, writes Marca.

The 59-year-old Welshman played for the Toronto Blizzard, Hamilton Steelers, Doncaster Rovers, Ottawa Intrepid and London Lasers, and featured in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

James claims he left Canada in 1998 because of discrimination he faced for using cocaine, and now begs on London’s Embankment, Piccadilly and Strand suburbs, carrying his few possessions in a black duffel bag.

“My football career was everything. I shouldn’t have missed a day of work. If I had to end my life tomorrow, which I won’t, people would understand.

What are they asking for money for? To be independent. To restore a semblance of normality. So that you can wear new clothes and shoes, not second-hand,” said the former football player.