'We were on welfare': Former USMNT star Charlie Davies details harrowing childhood memories and how they shaped him as a footballer

Former United States men's national team international Charlie Davies has revealed his harrowing childhood memories in a soul-baring interview.

The 37-year-old enjoyed something of a nomadic professional career, playing for the likes of Hammarby and Sochaux before settling in Major League Soccer. During his time in the United States, Davies played for the likes of New England Revolution, DC United, and Philadelphia Union.

He also won 17 caps for the USMNT, scoring four goals, but his career was pockmarked by moments of tragedy.

In 2009, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a lacerated bladder, bleeding on the brain, and various other injuries; the female passenger with Davies died in the accident.

In 2016, Davies was diagnosed with cancer, and he has now revealed that he had to fight his way out of poverty to find his way to football, which reignited his relationship with his father.

On the latest episode of Kicking It on CBS Sports GOLAZO, Davies revealed just how bad things were when he was growing up, as his dad battled drug addiction, and his mother was institutionalized due to her mental health.

He said: «I was on welfare. Sometimes I didn't know where my next meal was coming from and sometimes I had to go out and go to the grocery store with food stamps. One of the most humiliating moments as a kid is going to a grocery store with my younger brother, who is two years younger than me, so I'm acting like I'm his father and his brother at the same time while my mother was in a psychiatric hospital because she was dealing with a lot of mental illness, and tried to commit suicide a few times.»

«My father would sometimes go on his drug binges, and so I'm going to shop for my family. I'm going to the grocery store,