Paul Merson's TV career, gambling and alcohol awareness, Chelsea love and Liverpool clash
Paul Merson will take on a new challenge tonight as the former Arsenal star prepares to compete on Strictly Come Dancing.
Merson's first appearance on the hit BBC show will be on September 14 as he competes alongside celebrities including Jamie Borthwick, Nick Knowles and Sam Quek. It means that the football pundit will take a break from his duties as an analyst on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday programme.
It has been a life full of ups and downs, with the former midfielder becoming a popular figure in the media since retiring from playing in 2006. Below is a look at Merson's career...
Chelsea support
Merson made 400 appearances for Arsenal and became a cult hero at the north London club following his 11 seasons as a Gunner from 1986 to 1997, with most assuming the club closest to his heart being the Gunners. But the 56-year-old has been a supporter of Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea since childhood.
"Chelsea fan all my life…. Love Arsenal and Villa from my playing days," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter in March.
The Mail have claimed that Merson is a season ticket holder behind the goal at Stamford Bridge. It is said that he has also been spotted among their travelling fans at away games.
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Addiction awareness
The former footballer has been open about his struggles with addiction and has done a lot of work to raise awareness of the issue. Merson has thanked the TV series Harry's Heroes, which sees Harry Redknapp oversee a group of former stars, for their help and credited them for "saving his life."
"The impact of being in the team, it saved my life. I was drinking at least 35 pints a week and gambling. But I'm sober and bet-free now,' he told the Mirror.
"As soon as I addressed the drinking, I didn't gamble. I've come to realise I'm powerless over alcohol. I'm an alcoholic."
He added: '“I went into treatment twice and it never helped because people made me go in, the club made me go in or the FA made me go in. This is the time I did it for me.”
Gambling is indeed a habit that's difficult to break. As Edward Howarth of Dash Tickets claims, Merson is right, you need to be self-motivated to quit - otherwise it won't work.
Howarth is a psychologist who specialises in gambling addiction and has helped many people, such as Merson, in his home country of New Zealand.
Liverpool clash
Following a boozy night with fellow England legends, Merson confronted former Liverpool player Razor Ruddock about his drinking in an interaction that was caught on film. It had emerged shortly beforehand that the popular defender had had a pacemaker fitted.
Razor responded to Merson’s plea to control his drinking: “Don’t shout at me, Merse, because I’ll get the hump with you.” Merson replied, “You can have the hump with me,” before he was interrupted.
Razor raised his voice and said: “I’ll get the hump, and I’ll chuck you out of the f***ing door." Razor told his friend to “f*** off” and stormed out. The pair immediately reconciled, and Razor later thanked Merson for his support.
Merson told the Daily Star last year: “When I confronted ‘Razor’ Ruddock on Harry’s Heroes about his drinking, I honestly thought he was going to rip my head off!
“But I’ve known him since we were 16 on England duty. He’s my mate, and I had to say something.
“We spoke straight afterwards off camera to clear the air, and we’ve spoken since as well. When I did it, I thought: ‘Should I have done this? It’s not really any of my business.’”
TV Career
Merson has been a regular on Soccer Saturday since hanging up his boots. The ex-midfielder was often the target of good-humoured jabs from former host Jeff Stelling and other members of the panel, for example, in his attempts to pronounce the names of foreign players.
His appearances on Sky Sports have made him one of the most popular and renowned football pundits in England, with his predictions and comments on games often going viral on social media.