Gareth Messenger

They say lightning does not strike twice, but if you are Romanian, and your name is Adrian Mutu those rules do not apply. 

On April 19th, ten years ago, Mutu was handed his second ban from football for the use of drugs, after he failed an anti-doping test in January 2010. 

The ruling was confirmed by his club at the time, Fiorentina after the case was heard by the Italian anti-doping tribunal. Mutu's ban ran until October as he has already spent two months on the sidelines.

Mutu had told prosecutors that the traces of sibutramine found in his tests were the result of slimming tablets given to him for his mother. He reacted angrily to the ruling at the time saying, “I feel this is a harsh punishment. It seems too much. I expected less because, yes, the mistake was made, it's right to pay, but not so much.”

It is effectively a ban hat ended Mutu’s career in the spotlight of European football. After the ban, Fiorentina suspended him for a breach of contract. Despite a public apology, Mutu’s career with La Viola never got started again, and he left in June 2011 having scored 54 goals in 112 Serie A games. 

He later moved to Cesena before playing for Ajaccio, Petrolul Ploiesti, Pune City and Targu Mures on his farewell tour. 

This was not the first time Mutu got caught on the wrong side of the law. This was the second lengthy drugs ban for Mutu, whose Chelsea career ended in 2004 when he was sacked for cocaine use and banned for seven months.

His international career for Romania also came to a dramatic end. In November 2013, the striker was barred from any future national squads after he posted an image of manager Victor Piturca as British comedy character Mr. Bean on Facebook.