Addicted - Tapa dura

‘The most successful captain in Arsenal’s history symbolises everything the club traditionally stands for in terms of resilience, professionalism, pride and attitude’
FourFourTwo magazine

Tony Adams is one of the legends of English football. Inspirational Arsenal captain and winner of a clutch of medals in English and European competitions, he has also nearly 50 England caps. All this despite his drinking problems which made him contemplate giving up the game altogether.

For the first time, Adams writes what it’s like playing with the best players in the game, from Gazza to Dennis Bergkamp, and working with some of the most successful managers, including George Graham, Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle and Arsene Wenger.

But above all, his story is that of a winner, a man who has brought the intense determination he has shown on the field to his recovery from illnesses off it.

Adams recalls graphically and openly his descent into alcohol addiction, which at one point saw him jailed for drink-driving. Just as he was finding his feet again after the slow rehabilitation process, problems with his marriage surfaced and soon after Adams found himself heading for a divorce. He talks honestly about that traumatic period in his life and also about the pressures and demands of being a top-class footballer in the modern era.

This is a frank and challenging autobiography, a human interest story as well as a football story, of a player willing to go to any lengths to succeed.