Lucas Perez has been contending with deep-rooted family issues which caused the ex-Arsenal striker to leave Deportivo La Coruna for the fourth time in his career last month
Ex-Arsenal striker Lucas Perez has opened up about his fragmented family relationship that originated from his abandonment at just two years old.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a 15-year professional career in football that has taken him from his native country to Ukraine, Greece, England and now the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. The former Gunner – who joined the Premier League giants for £17million in 2016 from Deportivo La Coruna – lasted just a season in north London before returning to the La Liga side on loan.
Having turned out for Deportivo in four separate spells during his career, he left the club again last month after two years due to personal reasons. He revealed the heartbreaking reason behind his departure was due to his difficult relationship with his father who, alongside Perez’s mother, abandoned him.
“When I was two, my parents left me in an orphanage because they couldn’t or didn’t want to take care of me,” Perez admitted in an interview with El Partidazo de Cope. “This season, I received a complaint from my father demanding that I pay maintenance for the rest of his life.”
The forward said the request from his father wasn’t the first time one of his parents demanded money from him, as the first instance occurred following his move to the Gunners almost a decade ago. “From then on, I spent several months until I left Deportivo with a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety because I had to relive very difficult moments in my life.
“When I signed for Arsenal, my mother also sent me a burofax demanding money… but she can’t claim it because she’s not listed in the joint custody. My grandparents asked for custody and, later, my grandmother allowed my father to take over. I was lucky to have my grandparents, but they couldn’t last as long as they should have.”
Recent meet-ups with his father led to Perez cancelling his Deportivo contract last month, admitting the best thing for him to do was to “step aside” from the club. “I’m leaving now because the issue with my father continues. I’ve met him several times this Christmas and it’s not a pleasant experience.”
Perez has since signed a short-term deal with PSV but will not be able to face Arsenal when the two sides meet when the two sides meet in the Champions League round of 16, with the Eredivisie reigning champions hosting the first leg on Tuesday,
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