I was diagnosed with brain tumour after pulling out of Liverpool match and collapsing in hospital

When it comes to the case of Dominic Matteo, the old adage ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ is the biggest of understatements. The former Liverpool defender has been in the wars somewhat since hanging up his boots in 2009.

Admitting his problems with alcohol during his playing career in his autobiography, published in 2011, he was also open about a gambling addiction that saw him rack up debts of over £1m. He was later declared bankrupt in 2015.

Later diagnosed with a brain tumour after collapsing when attending a check-up in hospital, he underwent surgery in 2019 and was declared in remission the following year. His most recent scan was again stable.

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Meanwhile, during the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, he was reunited with his birth mother after nearly half a century apart on ‘Long Lost Family’. After being put up for adoption when he was a baby, he was ultimately inspired to find her following his fight with cancer.

Matteo has enjoyed a new lease on life as a result, and is grateful for every day. While it would perhaps be easy to be weighed down by such setbacks, his response has actually been the complete opposite.

A few years ago he was still struggling to talk. Now he still has issues reading and writing. But his positivity is infectious with his passion to use such experiences to help others abundantly clear.

Matteo has recently teamed up with gambling harm prevention specialist EPIC Global Solutions, with his new role as a programme facilitator seeing him engage with leading sports professionals, including likely engagement with EFL and SPFL football clubs, and explain the detrimental effect that problem gambling had on him and those closest to him.

Sitting down for an exclusive interview with the ECHO, it is easy to see how the former Liverpool star is the perfect role-model for such a role. His story is simply inspirational.

“People might not feel I'd still be alive in this time, because of what happened and, you know, my, my issues with cancer,” he admitted. “No-one wants to be in the position I was in. There's no two ways about that.

“But I'm fortunate. Living with what you live with, you can never get used to it. People think you can be. But waking up every day is a bonus. Let's be honest. It really is.

“When something knocks you down, you get up. That's life, isn't it? And I've realised that more than ever now.

“At the moment, things are good. But I never get ahead of myself, I just feel very privileged to still be here. And EPIC has given me another opportunity to go out and talk about the issues that I've had.

“We've got a way of maybe helping as many as we can. And that's another passion for me at the moment. Obviously football is always the key thing for me, otherwise I wouldn't be here today if it wasn’t for football, talking about it.

“When you do get an incredible scare like I had, there were points where they didn't know whether I was going to come out of it. I was that touch and go at points. I'm very lucky as well in Leeds with my oncologist and my brain surgeon.

“Imagine this, my brain surgeon is a Manchester United fan! So we have to do ten hours surgery on my brain, and I've not got much in there anyway! But to get me through that point, because the trauma was that bad, I'm very, very, very lucky to be here. I really mean that.

“It makes me a bit emotional thinking about that, because obviously the family, the kids and the wife, it just gets me every time because I know I'm lucky and I'm privileged, because some people wouldn't have got through that.

“But someone was looking out for me, I always believe that. Yeah, I'm fortunate because not a lot of other people in my position are as lucky as me to still be here and still be cracking on and living the life the best they can.

“I always think about the other people that haven't had a little bit of luck as well, because there is a little bit of luck with that as well.”

Matteo had been due to play in a Liverpool Legends match, only to instead be booking in for a health check-up by his wife, Jess. Collapsing in hospital, he was soon diagnosed with a brain tumour. The former Scotland international can’t help but see it as a sliding doors moment.

“I was meant to fly out to Singapore for a legends game, Liverpool vs Manchester United,” he recalled. “Didn't go on it. My wife got me a health check-up because the doctor's not seen me since I retired from playing football.

“I went and collapsed in hospital. So if I got on that flight, things could have been different. There are a few things in my life, slight moments in my career, in my life that have changed me a lot.

“And I've been very fortunate that someone was looking out for me. I'm very thankful if someone has been looking out for me. But, yeah it’s a privilege to be here and a privilege to be chatting to you. Even now, if you go back two or three years ago, I was the worst. I couldn't really string a sentence together or anything. I was really that bad.

“And now I'm out chatting about stuff all the time. The only problem is I've got to get my chats a bit shorter because I did a Q&A in Leeds for a local football team recently. It was meant to be 45 minutes but three and a half hours later and I'm still on stage!

“Telling stories and chatting to people because I can't change the person I am. I'm a very personable person and I like to chat with people.

“The wife says, ‘You drive me nuts sometimes, Dom! I know you're doing the right thing by chatting to all these people but come on, it’s time for us to go home!’ But it's nice. It's nice to be nice. And I think what goes around comes around, doesn’t it?”

Matteo’s wife, Jess, has been his rock over the years. And she will be by his side, working with EPIC, relaying her own experiences.

“Jess been incredible,” he said. “When I was diagnosed, the first thing she did was research, research, research, which everyone does. But she didn't research the bad bits because you can get into that bad place where you are looking about what my cancer is, and you look into it and how long you've got.

“Everything is bad when you’re looking at cancer, everything's bad. There's no good news on that. But she didn't, she went a different route. She looked into the diet side of it more than worrying about what you read online.

“I think living with cancer, that's probably harder for my wife and my family than it is for me. Not that it doesn't play on you at times, but I think my mindset is pretty strong.

“When you get a diagnosis like I've had, I kind of just approached it quite tough. I'm tough on myself. I'm quite regimented in what I do, but I also have to live my life as well, I really do.

“That's why, you know, people call me Judith Chalmers because I'm always on holiday! But why not? Because I don't know what's around the corner. Who does?

“The best thing for me at the moment is I've got my wife and the kids, and my wife's been absolutely amazing with what I've been through. And she’s seen a lot, my wife.

“I think she's going to be hopefully coming on board as well, doing some chat as a couple as well. And I think that could be hugely important as well to see it from the other side, from my wife's side of it as well.

“Did it make me a different person? You know, the gambling issues, financial stuff, all that. She sees it differently to probably what I do. So I think it's important to have to have my wife with us doing that as well. Because it takes brave people to get on stage and talk about mistakes you've made, in front of the world at times.

“But I think me and the wife are both wanting to help. But the only way we can do it is by using my platform, which isn't the biggest. You know, other footballers have got bigger platforms than me.

“What are you going to get from me is the truth. You’re going to get the honesty. My wife is certainly going to tell you the truth about me and my issues!”

Matteo’s last hospital scan was stable. He couldn’t have asked for anything more. Despite all the knocks, he’s happy.

“My health is good at the minute,” he said. “I never get too far ahead of myself on that because you never know what's round around the corner.

“I have my regular scans. The last one was stable. It's the best I can always hope for. So when I hear that stable, I'm like, ‘Yes, it's stable. See you in a few months and we'll go again.’ That's how I approach it.

“And it becomes a little bit normal, but it can never be completely normal because not a day goes by in my life really when I don't talk about it because I bump into someone when I'm out walking or working at Elland Road or Liverpool. ‘How's your health? How's your brain?’ or ‘I’ve got a problem with cancer,’ and they’ll ask me for advice.

“It's all that kind of stuff. But I'm okay with that. Some people don't like talking about it but it doesn't really affect me too much. I'm like, ‘Wow, this is a real privilege to speak to people who are in a bad position and talk about my experience and where I'm at.’ I feel very privileged for that.

“And if I can help somebody with that, of course I'm going to sit there and chat with them and help them. But it's hard to speak to everyone. It's hard to chat to everyone. One in two people are going to have it at some point. So that's big stats.

“It used to be one in four, now it's one in two. So if you think about that, it's a difficult place to be. But as you can see me now, I'm smiling. I'm happy.

“I'm here in Glasgow where I was born, so it's important to keep my journey and my story going. Health is wealth. You can have all the money in the world but if you haven't got your health, you've got nothing.”

Matteo was in Glasgow on behalf of EPIC, speaking at a press launch at Lesser Hampden. But he used the trip to his birth town to again meet up with his birth mother, after being reunited back in 2021.

“I had a beer with my birth mother because she's based in Glasgow. So I saw her for an hour last night,” he said. “I met her and John, her fiance. When I'm back in Glasgow, it's nice to pop in and see Maggie and John as well.

“They are part of my family now, so that's really important to me. My mum and dad are okay with it and that’s really important to me as well. I was always a bit nervous about speaking to mum and dad, even though I knew the people they are, that they wouldn't have any issues with it. They're actually really happy.

“But yeah, it's been a good couple of days actually, for me personally, just seeing Maggie, spoke to my mum and dad about it. And then obviously my wife helped me get on the train and stuff today because obviously I can't read, I don’t write and I can't see very well.

“So even getting on the train is a mission sometimes, but I crack on, I find a way and you can always ask for help. That was something I was never very good at. Because you think you're a man and you’re this and that.

“Just ask for help if you need it. If you need it, someone will help you.”

Matteo has needed help plenty of times in recent years and is still standing strong thanks to it. Having now teamed up with EPIC, he is passionate about doing the same for others.

Dominic Matteo was speaking to the ECHO on behalf of EPIC Global Solutions. EPIC Global Solutions is a leading provider of gambling harm prevention and awareness programmes across a range of high-risk sectors, with regular delivery in pro sport including education sessions with clubs from the EFL, SPFL and Premiership Rugby. Operating globally, they also work with the likes of the MLB and NCAA in the US to help educate players and staff on the potential risks involved with gambling, using those who have previous lived experience of gambling-related harm – such as Dominic – to help share impactful insight. You can contact EPIC on 01942 494913 and info@epicglobalsolutions.com.

If you are struggling with gambling, you can reach The National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) by calling 0808 8020 133 for free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free information, support and counselling.