When Darius Vassell signed for Ankaragucu in July, he was paraded through the Turkish capital like a hero, and hailed as a landmark signing for the ambitious club.
Since then, things have not gone exactly to plan, and last night he was evicted from the hotel at which he has been living and left to fend for himself.
Interviewed by Turkish TV after being turfed out of the Crowne Plaza hotel, Vassell appeared confused, bewildered and afraid.
"I don't know what's happening," he said.
"I have been told today that I have to leave the hotel. I have asked the managers did I do something wrong? The hotel manager said 'no you didn't do anything wrong' but they had a meeting today with the club and now I must leave the hotel.
"I don't really know what to do, I have not spoken to anybody yet."
Vassell is the victim of a power struggle at Ankaragucu, which has left wages unpaid and training cancelled. And it seems somebody at the club forgot to settle Vassell's hotel bill.
As he stood on the pavement clutching his guitar and a framed picture, your heart went out to him.
It takes a lot to feel sorry for a man who somehow parlayed his limited ability into a key role for England at a World Cup and a European Championship, plus several million quid in the bank.
Now ED does not think for a minute Vassell spent the night under a railway bridge with Ankara's down-and-outs, as his credit card could probably stretch to a couple of nights in a decent B&B.
But it was hardly an ideal situation for a bloke from Sutton Coldfield with no command of the Turkish language - especially when the smothering attention usually paid by agent, managers and hangers-on usually removes any need for independent thought on the player's part.
Hotels in football - Five-star service or hotel from hell?
***** Antonio Cassano - No oil painting, the madcap Sampdoria striker, yet in his autobiography he claimed to have bedded "600 to 700 women". While at Real Madrid, he paid hotel staff to smuggle ladies into his room, then sent them out to a late-night bakery to fetch post-carnal pastries. As Cassano wrote: "Sex plus food: a perfect night."
**** Diego Maradona - The Argentina manager nudged Manchester United towards last season's title when staying at the Radisson Edwardian before checking out Carlos Tevez against Chelsea. Maradona and his entourage reportedly set off a late-night fire alarm by smoking cigars in her rooms, and bleary-eyed Chelsea - staying in the same hotel - lost 3-0.
*** Ruud Gullit - The Dutchman stayed at the Malmaison Hotel for the duration of his year-long tenure as Newcastle manager - one reason out of many why the Toon Army never really took to him. Gullit resigned in the wake of poor results, a bust-up with Alan Shearer, and also cited an invasion of his privacy which included a tabloid kiss and tell story.
** England - One good reason for England to play Brazil in Doha - no chance of a band playing outside their windows all night before the game. That is what happened in Mexico in 1970 as Brazilians gathered to prevent their group opponents from getting any shut-eye. The tactic worked, as England lost a classic encounter by a single goal.
* Tottenham Hotspur - White Hart Lane is seven miles from Upton Park, yet Spurs spent the night before their crucial end-of-season game with West Ham at the Marriott Hotel in Canary Wharf. The move backfired, metaphorically and literally, as a dodgy lasagne left six players stricken with diarrhoea. Spurs lost the game and a Champions League berth.