The paths taken by Régis Fernandes da Silva no longer take him to the fields where he had standout moments. Currently, he finds himself on an aimless journey, facing a relentless adversary: crack addiction. At 49 years old, the former player who wore the shirts of Ponte Preta, Corinthians and Vasco, fights a daily battle against drug addiction, as determined on September 2, 2026.
About two months ago, Régis Pitbull, the name by which he was recognized throughout his career, took up residence in the alleys and squares of Pirituba, in the North Zone of São Paulo. Dependence caused him to lose his home, the support of most of his friends and his dignity.
The physiognomy of a once-known athlete gave way to a visage that the action of time, drug addiction and the harsh reality of the streets in one of the largest metropolises in the world have made almost unrecognizable.
Régis’ current condition became public through reports from former colleagues from a floodplain team in the neighborhood where he grew up.
The challenging conditions that Régis Pitbull faces daily
The cold and humidity of a morning in São Paulo prompted Régis to seek refuge in an improvised shelter, assembled with tarpaulins, blankets and cardboard, in a small square. Among the remains of buildings and accumulated trash, he seeks some type of personal recovery.
Life on the streets became his only alternative after periods in which he lived favorably with relatives and friends. Debts related to condominium fees and IPTU threaten the loss of your own apartment, which is the subject of legal action. Despite this, Régis still hopes to reoccupy the property, the only asset he has left. He left the apartment after the former player was arrested for attacking the property manager in 2025.
Régis’s awakening, driven by hunger, occurred shortly after eight in the morning. As he crossed a street busy with cars and people heading to work, he repeated one of his few rituals: going to a restaurant and ordering coffee with lots of spoons of sugar.
On this occasion, he consumed some esfihas and two more cups of coffee. An employee of the establishment, a Corinthians fan, joked during each interaction with that figure that no longer referred to the athlete who had played in seven games for the club in 2004.
“The people from the fans came there on Sunday to talk to me, they want to help me. I’m a great Corinthian, they always remember me. Give me another coffee, but add more sugar because it’s bitter”, said Régis, who uses the restaurant to go to the bathroom and charge his cell phone, which serves as his only means of contact and is often used to make payments for drugs.
The night before that meeting, Régis revealed that he had used a mixture of “flower with ice” — which combines the marijuana flower (the bud of the Cannabis plant) with a high concentration extract of the same plant.
Another restaurant employee confirmed that the former player comes to the place daily to receive some meals donated by the team. According to her, there are few days when he is in a state of sobriety.
With few pieces of clothing, uncut nails and lack of regular bathing, Régis had a trimmed beard and hair thanks to a friend. In the square where he lives, across the street, he shares space with a man over 60, with whom he shows no sympathy.
“Boring old man, he complains about everything. I like to stay in my corner, without anyone bothering me. He wants to talk all the time. If I wanted to talk, I’d go to the fair nearby”, said Régis, who at that moment had another urgent task: fixing the flat tire on his bicycle.
Born and raised in Pirituba, Régis is recognized by many residents and visitors to the region, knowing its streets well. The gas station near the restaurant serves as a “parking lot” for his blue bicycle, used to visit friends and buy drugs.
Régis doesn’t try to hide his addiction. Since the beginning of his football career, he has dealt with drug addiction. On two occasions, he was caught doping due to marijuana use, resulting in suspensions before resuming his career, until he was completely dominated by harder substances that made him lose control of his life.
One of his rare moments of freedom is when he cycles around the neighborhood. When picking up the bicycle with a flat tire, Régis encountered the same police officer who had detained him in 2025, when he attacked the building manager of the building where he still owns his apartment, currently in the process of being forfeited due to debts.
“The gentleman who arrested me, but helped me a lot. Maximum respect.”
“I didn’t arrest you, you were the one who arrested yourself. You know, Régis. And the ankle bracelet?”, replied the police officer.
“It’s gone, it’s paid for,” said Régis, referring to the device he used for a few months following a court order, complying with a protective measure after the attack.
At a tire shop a few meters from the station, Régis managed to fix the tire. Along the way, he recalled the height of his career and the prestige he had at the time, playing for a major Brazilian football club.
“I drove a BMW, I had a Dakota (truck). One day I went to the steakhouse to eat one of those top ribs and I didn’t even pay, they took photos and didn’t let me pay the bill. Imagine that today? You’re crazy”, he commented, upon arriving at the place.
The rubber worker, who saw the then young man grow up in the neighborhood before turning professional in football and, subsequently, experiencing decline, expressed his opinion.
“He was always good with the ball, but he was quarrelsome. He still is,” he said, between laughs, while Régis waited for the new tire with visible anxiety.
Although he admits the problem he faces, Régis’s expression changes when he hears the words “help” or “hospitalization”. He refuses the idea of leaving the streets to live with acquaintances or receiving medical treatment for his addiction. He insists that all he needs is a job to restructure his life.
With the tire repaired, Régis got on the bike, did a brief test at the gas station, under the eyes of police officers, and set off again without a defined destination.
Shortly afterwards, he returned to his improvised shelter, lay down and resumed his status as a vulnerable citizen in Brazil’s most populous metropolis.
Details of Régis Pitbull’s football career
- Name: Régis Fernandes da Silva
- Nickname: Régis Pitbull
- Career: 170 games | 49 goals
- Clubs: Comercial, Marítimo-POR, Ceará, Ponte Preta, Coritiba, Kyoto Sanga (Japan), Gaziantepspor (Turkey), Daejon Citzen (South Korea), Corinthians, Vasco, Bahia, Portuguesa, Inter de Limeira, ABC, Al Nasr, Rio Branco-MG, Poços de Caldas-MG and São Raimundo-AM.
Régis Pitbull’s persistent refusal for treatment
Friends and family of Régis, in conversations with the press, are unanimous in stating that the main barrier to his recovery is his unwillingness to accept help. Nobody wanted to give interviews on the subject.
Before his current situation on the streets, Régis lived a routine of fluctuations in his physical and mental health. Between relapses and moments of lucidity, he played on floodplain teams and managed to find some source of income.
Régis is the father of two children and has brothers and his father still alive. His mother passed away a few years ago, without witnessing her son overcome his drug addiction.
At the end of the 1990s, Régis emerged at Comercial, in Ribeirão Preto, and aroused the interest of Marítimo, in Portugal. He played for two years in Europe before returning to Brazil to play for Ceará.
During this period of his life, drugs were already part of the player’s routine, who spent more than four months away from the field due to two doping punishments for marijuana use.
A forward on the edge of the field, with speed and dribbling as his main attributes, Régis played for clubs like Coritiba and Ponte Preta before his time in Japan.
His international career included performances in South Korea, Turkey and Kuwait, as well as stints with major Brazilian clubs such as Corinthians, Vasco, Bahia, Portuguesa and lesser teams, until his retirement from football in 2012, at the age of 34. It was after retirement that chemical dependency intensified.
The former player underwent hospitalization for rehabilitation in 2022, but suffered a relapse less than a month after being released, culminating in the loss of his apartment in this recent period.
Régis will turn 50 on September 22nd and expresses his desire for a celebration to bring together friends.
However, in the current reality, there is no reason to celebrate, as he himself stated:
“I don’t want anyone to know I exist. If they think I’m dead, that’s better. I’m not a poor thing.”
