Vinnie Jones reflects on biggest regret of his life in new Netflix documentary Untold UK
"It was just football"Vinnie Jones has opened up over his life, career and biggest regret in an upcoming Netflix documentary, Untold UK.
The footballer-turned actor describes his journey from hardman player to Hollywood star as he looks back at the highlights of his life.
From winning the FA Cup to his days before becoming a professional footballer, Vinnie Jones’ extraordinary career is the topic of the Netflix show, Untold UK.
Vinnie Jones’ reveals his biggest regret in new Netflix documentary
The 61-year-old describes his transformation as football’s most feared brute of a player to acting in movies alongside Tinsel Town’s elite. The star still holds the record for the most red cards in English history.
But when it comes to reflection, his only regret is drinking.
He admits in the show, Untold UK: Vinnie Jones: “My biggest regret is not giving up drinking probably 20 years beforehand. I tried it but never stuck at it. I think I’d have achieved a lot more without the booze. When I first went to Wimbledon on trial, I never had a drink for a year. I wanted to be the fittest I could be. And then I fell into the culture.”
He has been sober since 2013.
Vinnie added: “It got hold of me. The more you drink, the more crazy you get and the more [beep] you cause. Your reputation gets bigger and more out of hand.
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your television news
“So maybe my biggest regret is not giving up the booze a long time ago. I wasn’t a drinker or a smoker growing up – it was just football.
“It was all part of being part of the Crazy Gang. I think I’d have been a lot better player if I hadn’t drunk through my career.
“But when you’re a young lad from a building site and the next minute you’re playing in front of 50,000 people, you never think it’s going to end.”
The ‘Crazy Gang’ – Wimbledon footballers in the 1980s and 1990s – Vinnie said it was Bortsal boys who had each other’s back no matter what.
Thoughts on what will happen when he dies
Despite reflecting on drinking, Vinnie Jones also spoke of his highs, and how he believes winning the FA Cup will be written on his gravestone.
He was part of the Wimbledon team that stormed to victory in 1987 against Liverpool at Wembley.
He said: “I think the biggest achievement is the FA Cup. The odds, you know? Leeds was magnificent, but we built a good team and that was “[beep] or bust”—we had to get up that season. But Jack and the Beanstalk was a great story of mine as a kid, and that’s what we did at Wimbledon when we beat Liverpool.
“I remember the first round being 1-0 down against Mansfield away. Fast forward a few months, and you’ve beaten one of the greatest teams in the last 50 years. 1-0 in front of a hundred thousand people. It was some achievement. It will probably be on my gravestone, I should think.”
After hanging up his boots, he is still making movies. Vinnie also has his own reality TV show In The Country that follows him living on his 2,000-acre estate in the West Sussex countryside.
Read more: ‘This is the biggest World Cup in history’: ITV confirms huge presenter line-up
Untold UK: Vinnie Jones is on Netflix from Tuesday May 26.
