Who is Adrian Mutu? Meet controversial ex-Chelsea star who sucked blood from a po*n star and almost hit Jose Mourinho
Chelsea have had their fair share of controversial players, but perhaps top of that list is Adrian Mutu. The Romanian joined the Blues from Serie A side Parma in 2003 for £15 million.
Mutu spent just one season with the West Londoners and was one of the first big-money signings under Roman Abramovich. However, his spell at Stamford Bridge was chaotic.
He did score a memorable long-range winner in a 4-2 win over Leicester City on his debut. Mutu enjoyed a prominent role under former Blues boss Claudio Ranieri, explaining in an interview with BBC Sport in 2020:
“In my first year at Chelsea I worked with Claudio Ranieri, a great coach, who wanted me in the squad. Without those personal problems, things would have been different."
Yet, the Romanian's problems arose after Jose Mourinho's arrival in 2004. The Portuguese coach grew suspicious of the attacker and ordered a drug test. The results came back negative.
However, his relationship with Mourinho was in turmoil. He made a miraculous recovery from a knee injury in time to represent Romania in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in October 2004.
It was around this time that Adrian Mutu alleged that he nearly hit Mourinho during a row over his attitude. He publicly accused the former Chelsea manager of lying about his fitness, resulting in a £120,000 fine by the club, per TalkSPORT.
The Blues carried out their own drug tests later that month, two months before anti-doping authorities found cocaine in his system. Mutu's former teammate and Chelsea hero Frank Lampard admitted in his 2006 'Totally Frank' autobiography that he was not surprised by the ordeal. He said:
"When the story leaked that he had tested positive for cocaine, I wasn’t exactly shocked.”
The Romanian's sex life was widely reported in the media, and in 2004, he was caught sucking the blood of porn star Laura Andreson. Mutu was banned from football for seven months and sacked by Chelsea for a breach of contract. He went on to play in Serie A for Fiorentina and Juventus.
The West Londoners went a step further and took their grievances with the player to FIFA. The governing body ordered the Romanian to pay the Premier League club £15.2 million in 2008. He had an appeal thrown out by the European Court of Human Rights in 2018.
Where is former Chelsea attacker Adrian Mutu now?
Adrian Mutu is currently the coach of Romanian outfit FC Rapid 1923. He has been in charge of Giuleștenii since March 2022. He has overseen 24 wins in 48 games at the Stadionul Rapid-Giulesti.
The former Chelsea player has also managed Romania's U21s. He worked as a scout for the national team as he climbed the coaching ladder, as well.
He became Tricolorii's joint top goalscorer alongside the legendary Gheorghe Hagi on 35 goals in 77 international caps. The Romanian might be eyeing a future appointment as national team boss in the future.