Sad reality of Arsenal legend's 44-day post-match bender – 'It was really dark'

Tony Adams has revisited an incredibly dark part of his life which saw him go on a 44-day bender after being ousted from the Euros in the semi-finals by Germany - admitting that he was sick and tired

Tony Adams had detailed a horrific 44-day bender that he went on back in 1996 during a tough part of his life.

The now 58-year-old quickly made a name for himself as a solid centre-half during his playing days, spending the entirety of his career with Arsenal. Adams played for the Gunners between 1983 and 2002, racking up 630 appearances at Highbury under the likes of Terry Neil, Don Howe, and Arsene Wenger.

While the Gunners legend lifted two first-division trophies, two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Cup Winners' Cup with the north Londoners, life off the pitch proved to be problematic at times for Adams. The Arsenal captain struggled with alcoholism, and even ended up going to prison for a drink driving offence in 1990 after crashing into a wall while being four times over the legal limit.

But even a 57-day custodial sentence wasn't enough to stop Adams from the bottle, who told ESPNcriticinfo in 2019: "The denial was really strong, and the consequences too, but even a spell in Chelmsford prison down the road didn't stop me drinking. I came out of prison and drunk and drove again. The denial was still in me and I wasn't ready."

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Adams recently told the Reggie Yates Podcast that he went on a 44-day bender after being ousted by Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 1996, in an incredibly dark time of his life. He confessed: "I was 29 and I didn’t want to be on the planet anymore, it was that painful. I couldn’t live with drink or without it. It was my go to, it was my problem and my solution...

"My last drink was on Friday at 5pm on the 16th August… I went on a 44 day bender… from the last kick of the game, 26th of June, when the Germans beat us out until the 16th of August. It was pretty crap to be honest with you.

"It was really dark, mate, you know and I don't want anybody to get to that point… it's not pretty, addiction, and thank God I had a moment of clarity and somewhere deep inside of me went ‘enough’ and I started to cry…the tears were running down my face."

Adams then detailed how he had an epiphany which changed his life forever, and he has been on the straight and narrow ever since. He continued: "And I got there and Bill, the governor, came over and said 'you alright Tone, do you want another one?'. I went 'I f**king don't want it, I don't want it no more, I've had enough'.

"I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, and it changed my life. And I never had a compulsion to drink since that moment of surrender, to this day." With Adams at the helm, England blasted their way through the group stages of Euro 1996, beating Scotland and the Netherlands while holding Switzerland to a 1-1 draw.

A 4-2 win on penalties over Spain sent the Three Lions into the semi-finals to face a strong German side - with England ultimately losing 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, goals coming from Alan Shearer and Stefan Kuntz. In total, Adams made 66 appearances for his country between 1987 and 2000, despite never winning a major trophy.