Adrian Mutu's life has been a rollercoaster on and off the pitch with the Romanian striker a hit at Chelsea before his career was derailed by a failed drugs test and sex scandals

Adrian Mutu with his third and current wife, former model and Miss Romania contestant Sandra (Image: instagram/sandra01mutu)

Former Chelsea badboy Adrian Mutu has lived a wild life filled with scandal and controversy - from drinking blood and romping with porn stars to testing positive for cocaine.

Despite a career that saw him play for the Premier League giants and Italy's top clubs including Inter Milan, Parma, Juventus and Fiorentina, his trophy cabinet is surprisingly bare. And that can certainly be attributed in part to the chaos of his personal life, although it hasn't stopped Romanian giants CFR Cluj appointing him as their manager last month.

Mutu's childhood in Calinesti, Romania, where his dad was a mathematician and his mum a computer operator, gave little hint of the turbulent lifestyle that lay ahead. A goal spree for his native Dinamo Bucharest alerted Inter Milan to his talents and a move to Serie A followed, before his performances for Parma earned him a Ballon d'Or nomination.

But his troubles escalated after he joined Chelsea in 2003 - a £15m star signing approved by former owner Roman Abramovich after then-manager Claudio Ranieri identified him as his top target. The Italian manager once compared Mutu to a "snake", saying he was a "born predator", before adding: "Mutu is so clever, so cunning and stays hidden until it is necessary to apply the killer finish."

Ranieri continued: "He can ghost in from behind the main striker and, when he does, the goalkeeper will be a dead man. This is why I have dreamed of signing Mutu for such a very long time."

Envisioning goals and assists galore at Stamford Bridge, he added that when the Russian oligarch asked him to draw up a list of players he wanted, he put Mutu "right at the top". Ranieri said: "He is a champion, a strong character - and I demand champions and strong characters in this side."

Past these positive headlines, however, a darker tale was unfolding in Mutu's life. His first few months at Chelsea saw him score a long-range winner against Leicester on his debut and bag two goals in a 4-2 victory over arch-rivals Tottenham to make him an instant fan favourite.

But these strong showings were marred by allegations of him assaulting his former wife and mother of his son, the Romanian TV presenter and actress Alexandra Dinu. Although these charges were eventually dropped, the couple did end up separating under the public eye.

Mutu's personal problems escalated, and his football suffered as well. The one-time pledge of success for Abramovich seemed to falter as the goals stopped flowing.

As he struggled on the field, Mutu's romantic life took a turn. A relationship with Miss Israel Moran Atias ended with another relationship with TV host Christina 'Kitty' Cepraga. And then things got really weird.

In 2004, he found himself in hot water after being caught in a sting with an adult film actress in Romania. His dalliance with porn star Laura Andreson was front page news in his homeland, after he allegedly sucked blood from the cut finger of the 'Transylvanian temptress', before they had sex.

Adult actress Laura Andreson claimed a cut finger led to some blood sucking before she and Adrian Mutu got intimate on a kitchen table

When he returned that summer to meet Chelsea's new manager, Jose Mourinho, the gaffer seemed disinterested due to rumours about Mutu's partying. Mutu would go on to claim that the Portuguese boss would favour his star signing Didier Drogba over him.

Even though Abramovich hoped for big things from his star signing, Mutu only made two substitute appearances before his next disaster struck. He was called up for international duty after missing three weeks at Chelsea due to injury.

"Mourinho said I was injured but it's not true," claimed Mutu. "I have been in good condition for five days and he knew that."

Stoking the flames even higher, Mutu said: "I don't care about being fined. I want everyone to know that the national team is the most important thing for me. I'll play against the Czech Republic at any risk. Such a match is so important for the national team that I cannot miss it."

Not one to stay quiet, Mourinho responded publicly. It led to a feud between two of the Premier League's big names.

"Nobody in Chelsea football club said he cannot go to the national team, he cannot train with the national team, he is not in condition, you are forbidden to go, nobody," declared Mourinho. "We never say to a player 'you don't go' because we can't."

Mourinho hit Mutu with the biggest fine possible, a whopping £120,000, but that was just the start of the drama. Chelsea gave him the boot for failing a drugs test, which showed he had cocaine in his blood.

The club said: "We want to make clear that Chelsea has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs. This applies to both performance-enhancing drugs or so-called 'recreational' drugs. They have no place at our club or in sport."

Mutu was banned from football for seven months by The FA, but he said he never took cocaine. He said he only used something to spice up his love life.

"I am not hooked on drugs," Mutu insisted. "I categorically deny this."

"The only reason I took what I took was because I wanted to improve my sexual performance. It may be funny but it is true.

"I did not take cocaine. I took something to make me feel good."

Mutu, who went on to marry Dominican model Consuelo Matos Gomez and have two daughters together before a divorce in 2015, was sacked by Chelsea for breach of contract.

He managed to get back into football with Juventus - as a bit part player for the side that won two league titles but had them both revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal - yet the mess with Chelsea continued to hang over Mutu. After the club fired him, they went after him for £15.2million.

Mutu and Chelsea fought in court for years. His last appeal got chucked out in October 2018 and neither side have offered an update since, although speaking in 2018, the Blues said they were still actively pursuing the damages owed to them.

Despite his shame, and another nine-month drugs ban after a positive test for appetite suppressant sibutramine while at Fiorentina in 2010, he did resurrect his career with la Viola, scoring 54 goals in 112 appearances. But his extra curricular activities were still off the wall.

Mutu starred in a music video with rap legend Snoop Dogg, sitting in a nightclub with a gorgeous girl on his arm at a table filled with champagne and cigars of course. Yet he also got a law degree, confessed his love of reading poetry, and in 2013, showed his kind heart when he wanted to adopt a baby found in a Chinese sewage pipe.

Mutu shared: "I couldn't figure out how to carry on living, how to eat my breakfast, when I saw this story on TV. He's a special child. When I saw the baby I said: 'I must adopt him, he has been sent to me by God.'"

He also said: "Just look at this poor little fellow. He made such a strong impression on me. I told my wife we have to help him, we have to do everything we can."

And: "I never thought I would adopt a baby, I had no plan concerning that, but I just know I have to help this one."

Even though Mutu didn't get to adopt the baby, it seemed like he had grown up. He said living in Florence helped him stay calm, while he married again, tying the knot with former model and Miss Romania contestant Sandra Bachici, 15 years his junior, with whom he had a fourth child.

"Florence is home for me," Mutu explained. "People here love me and I have forgotten about the cocaine and my sad time in London."

He went on to say his agent had explained there were offers from Premier League clubs to return to England. But he insisted: "Without meaning any offence, I would not go back to London if they paid me a fortune in gold."

Mutu said: "I've got nothing against English people. They are very nice and they are crazy for football, and the Premier League is clearly a great competition, but nowhere is as good as Florence for me."

The man who scored 35 goals for his country - a joint record alongside the legendary Gheorghe Hagi, despite playing 46 fewer games - went on to coach Romania's under-21s, including then rising stars Ianis Hagi and George Puscas. However, Mutu's relationship with his national team wasn't always smooth.

In 2011 he was sent home and banned for three games after he and a team-mate were caught drinking at a bar while Romania were playing in a friendly. And in 2013 he was again barred from playing for Romania after he posted an image of manager Victor Piţurca as Mr Bean on Facebook. Asked about his ups and downs, the now 45-year-old said: "I guess I am the ultimate split personality."

Yet after ill-fated managerial spells with the reserves of United Arab Emirates club Al Wahd, Romanian Liga I club Voluntari - where he lasted just two months - and Azerbaijan Premier League outfit Neftçi, he was appointed the boss of CFR Cluj at the end of January. The Railwaymen, who are currently second in the SuperLiga, were victorious in Mutu's first game in charge debut and no doubt have a wild ride ahead with him at the helm.