Tony Alexander Adams, (born October 10, 1966) was an English football player. He was born in Romford, England, and joined Arsenal F.C as a schoolboy in 1980, and never left. He had his first team debut in 1983 at the age of 17 vs Sunderland A.F.C. Adams was a successful captain of Arsenal F.C both in England and in Europe. He captained Arsenal to League titles in 3 different decades, which is unique. A solid central defender his long service made him almost synonymous with the steadfast Arsenal defence of the late 1980s and 90s which, under the management of George Graham, was reknowned for its well disciplined use of the offside trap. Later in his career, as his mobility declined, he picked up the derogatory nickname "Donkey" from opposing fans.

Adams was frequently involved in tabloid newspaper scandals. He was reportedly often involved in fights in night clubs and was fined for driving in a drunken state several times. Adams admitted that he had struggled against the disastrous impact of alcohol throughout his career, and after treatment and retirement, he attempted to reinvent his public persona, by revealing a more sensitive side to his character.

He released his autobiography, Addicted, in September, 1999.

Table of contents
1 International career
2 Honours
3 See also
4 External link

International career

Adams made his international debut against Spain in 1987 at the age of 20. After 65 more appearances ( 13 times as a skipper) and 5 goals, he decided to quit international football to lengthen his Arsenal career. His last game for England was on October 7, 2000, when Germany beat England 0-1 in London. But later retired from professional football in 2002.

Tony Adams participated in:

  • Euro '88
  • Euro '96 (semi-final)

  • WC '98 (quarter-final)

Honours

See also

External link