Kevin Van Veen opens up on crippling gambling addiction as Motherwell striker recalls rehab in South Africa

Kevin Van Veen would wake up in the middle of the night craving a kick. But not at a ball. He desperately needed a buzz. But not from scoring a goal.

Instead, he’d get out of bed and head straight for a casino. It was the only way to feed his addiction. Money had no value. Neither did his career or his life at that stage. Thankfully, he sought help. Suddenly, the former PSV kid, who was highly rated by coaches in Holland, found himself picking strawberries in South Africa. No money, no phone, no definitive future. Just a bed, a bathroom and a mirror. Van Veen had to look within himself to find salvation.

Eventually, with the help of others, the game he has loved from the age of six gave him it. At 31, he’s now determined to maximise every minute. Motherwell supporters who adore him want to reap the benefits of that. But most of them won’t know the journey he has been on to get to Fir Park.

As a young player at PSV Eindhoven, he was released because he was so small, his shorts wouldn’t stay up. A 27cm growth spurt left him in agony and hospitalised for eight weeks. He turned his back on football to work on building sites as a plasterer before his hunger for goals returned.

As a semi-pro in Holland, van Veen started to make a living from the game. But the more he earned, the more he gambled. And given what he’s had to go through, it’s a miracle that he’ll spearhead Motherwell’s Europa Conference League campaign which starts on Thursday night.

Ask any coach who has worked with van Veen and they will tell you he should be playing at a higher level. With his ability, how did he wash up at Northampton and Scunthorpe before turning up in the SPFL Premiership.

As MailSport found out in an exclusive and searingly honest