Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has confessed that his football career was wrecked due to early marriage.

Lamptey tied the knot with then girlfriend Gloria Appiah, just a year after starring for Ghana at the 1992 Olympic Games.

The marriage was reported to be a controversial one, angering his family, as they did not approve of it due to his tribal background.

They gave birth to five children, of whom two died to lung diseases, and the other three being bastards following a DNA test revelation in 2013.

Odartey filed for divorce in the wake of the DNA test, with Gloria getting 50% of his assets as ordered by the court.

“Marrying early even ruined my career. I could have played for long if I had taken my time before getting married,” Odartey told Kasapa FM.

Odartey Lamptey has recovered from a bitter divorce with his first wife and has since remarried.

The former PSV attacker is now blessed with two girls and a boy.