Tony Adams has lived several lives rolled into one.
First he emerged as a lumbering centre-back, talented for sure but also rudimentary in his defending. Physical and hardly a footballer blessed with nuance, he spent half of his time in an Arsenal jersey with one arm raised, claiming for offside.
Such was his awkward gait and his agricultural attributes, he was deemed a ‘donkey’ by rival fans, a nickname that unfortunately took off.
These were his donkey years.
Then came the glory days, as George Graham’s parsimonious back-line married beautifully with the creativity of Paul Merson and David Rocastle and the Gunners started to win silverware, but if they were always among the favourites in the football betting odds, off the pitch these were the start of some very dark times for the England international.
The drinking culture at Highbury had spiralled out of the control and Adams was right there at the heart of it, a founding member of the infamous ‘Tuesday Club’ that drank to celebrate or drank to forget. Win or lose, they were on the booze.
But while others somehow found a balance between hedonism and being a professional athlete, Adams could not. He would go on ‘benders’ for days at a time, sobering up in prostitute’s beds and hating himself for it. He turned up to captain his side against Sheffield United drunk.
It took a series of lows before the player could admit that he was an alcoholic, his nadir of nadirs taking place in May 1990 when the Ford Sierra he was driving smashed into a wall. Breathalysed at the scene he was four times over the legal limit.
Later revealing in his autobiography that he was drunk for pretty much every waking moment of each day at this juncture, it was hard to see a way back for Adams, especially when his circumstances got considerably worse. On December 19th, 1990, at Southend Crown Court, he was sentenced to four months imprisonment.
When he was released the following February, members of the public threw bottles and carrots at him.
Yet to his enormous credit, Tony Alexander Adams did bounce back, and then some.
It took time of course, a good deal of time, with the heartbreak of England’s Euro 96 exit several years later leading to one final alcohol-fuelled descent that lasted a full week.
It was the arrival of Arsene Wenger to North London that summer that proved to be his inspiration, that and a successful spell in rehab that facilitated his recovery.
Playing in a cosmopolitan team, that prioritised pasta over Peroni, Adams became a significantly more rounded defender and a pivotal presence as Arsenal reached previously unchartered heights of excellence.
They were the team to back in the live betting. They won most weeks and always with style to spare.
Away from the pitch meanwhile, the reformed English international learnt the piano. He quoted philosophers. This was Adams the Renaissance Man.
Furthermore, there was another incarnation left, arguably the most impressive one of all.
Post-retirement, Adams’ Sporting Chance charity has helped, often rehabilitated, a countless number of struggling sportsmen and women.
The less said about his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing last year, the better, but all told, what a life he has lived. Every version of him.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
