'Six shots of heroin a day' - Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper opens up on painkiller hell and claims many players 'rely' on similar medication

Kirkland had been taking tramadol to help him deal with pain following injuries during his playing career. However, he became dependent on the drug and ended up on a decade-long battle with his addiction before finally coming off of it last year.

Tramadol is going to be added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of banned substances as of January 1, meaning a lengthy suspension will be handed to any athletes who test positive for it.

However, Kirkland believes use of the drug is widespread in football and that a player will be found to be using it sooner or later. He told The Athletic: "Somebody is going to get caught. I’m glad this ban is happening because it’s a dangerous, dangerous drug. But you’re not going to eradicate it and somebody will fail a test, it’s inevitable. It’s going to be extremely tough for a lot of players because there will be many who rely on it."

Kirkland went into detail on his gruesome fight with his addiction, adding: "I found out when I went into rehab that I was taking the equivalent of six shots of heroin a day. It is an evil, evil drug. It nearly killed me, and should have killed me.

"At the start, it gives you a good feeling. It makes you feel happy, if you have anxiety or anything like that. I was using it for pain, yes, but I was using it for anxiety more than anything. But it messes you up mentally. I knew after three months that I was in trouble, that I’d become reliant on it. In the end, you build up such a tolerance to it, it doesn’t really do anything. It’s just that your body needs it, because you’re addicted."

WADA initially wanted to bring in the tramadol ban earlier than January 1, but decided to delay its introduction because of how addictive it is, giving athletes more time to stop using it. The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has contacted its members to inform them of the risks and the imminent deadline.