Editing Tony Adams (section)

==Club career==

=== 1983–1989: Early career and Anfield title ===
Adams signed for Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1980,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-15 |title=Tony Adams |url=https://www.arsenal.com/historic/players/tony-adams |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=www.arsenal.com |language=en}}</ref> and made his first-team debut on 5 November 1983 against [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], aged 17.<ref name=":1">Maidment (2008), p. 54.</ref><ref name="highs" /> He accidentally put his shorts on back-to-front before the match. Then, with virtually his first touch of the ball during the game, he gave it away, leading to Sunderland's opening goal. He put the ball into the opponents' net, but the goal was disallowed.<ref name=":1" /> Adams became a regular player in the [[1986–87 in English football|1986–87 season]], winning his first major trophy that season when playing in the [[Football League Cup]] Final win over [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]].<ref name="highs" />

On 1 January 1988, he became Arsenal captain at the age of 21,<ref name="greatest">{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gunners-greatest-players-no-3.-tony-adams|title=Gunners' Greatest Players – 3. Tony Adams|author=Arsenal.com|work=Official Arsenal Website|date=5–19 May 2008|access-date=24 November 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212013429/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gunners-greatest-players-no-3.-tony-adams|archive-date=12 December 2008}}</ref> remaining as club captain for the next 14 years until his retirement.

Adams's strong discipline of the defence was considered a factor in Arsenal winning the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] in [[1986–87 in English football|1986–87]] and then the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] championship twice; the first in [[1988–89 in English football|1988–89]] after a [[Liverpool 0–2 Arsenal (26 May 1989)|win]] over [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in the final game of the season; the second in [[1990–91 in English football|1990–91]], losing once all season.

=== 1989–1996: Arsenal's famous back four ===
Together with [[Lee Dixon]], [[Nigel Winterburn]] and [[Steve Bould]], Adams was part of the "famous back four" that lined up in Arsenal's defence, which under [[George Graham (footballer, born 1944)|George Graham]] was renowned for its well-disciplined use of the [[offside trap]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smyth |first=Rob |date=2009-05-08 |title=The Joy of Six: Great defences |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/may/08/joy-of-six-great-defences |access-date=2024-05-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The backline achieved legendary status with its unyielding resilience, remaining formidable for over a decade. Arsenal notably conceded just 18 goals during their title-winning [[1990–91 Arsenal F.C. season|1990–91 league season]], and the four players amassed over 2,000 appearances for the club.<ref>Maidment (2008), p. 75.</ref>

In [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93]] Adams was the captain of the first English side to win the League Cup and [[FA Cup]] double.<ref>{{cite web|author=Joe Lovejoy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football--european-cupwinners-cup-smiths-strike-brings-arsenal-european-glory-battling-londoners-make-light-of-the-loss-of-wright-and-jensen-1433888.html |title=European Cup-Winners Cup: Smith's strike brings Arsenal European glory: Battling Londoners make light of the loss of Wright and Jensen |work=The Independent|date=5 May 1994 |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref> In 1994, Adams led Arsenal to their first European trophy in 24 years by defeating favourites [[Parma Calcio 1913|Parma]] 1–0 in the [[1994 European Cup Winners' Cup final]] in Copenhagen.<ref>Maidment (2008), p. 67.</ref>

Despite this success, [[alcoholism]] increasingly blighted his life from the mid-1980s. He was reportedly often involved in fights in [[nightclub]]s, and on 6 May 1990 crashed his car into a wall in [[Rayleigh, Essex|Rayleigh]]; his blood alcohol level was found to be more than four times the legal [[Drunk driving law by country#United Kingdom|drink-drive limit]]. On 19 December that year, at [[Southend Crown Court]],<ref name="greatest" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.askmen.com/top_10/sports/top-10-stupid-criminal-acts-by-footballers_4.html|title=Tony Adams|publisher=Ask Men|access-date=22 February 2014|archive-date=16 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031322/https://uk.askmen.com/top_10/sports/top-10-stupid-criminal-acts-by-footballers_4.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=519627|title=Stick Your Two Points Up Your Arsenal|first=Tim|last=Stillman|publisher=Vital Football|date=25 July 2010|archive-date=25 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925230420/http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=519627|url-status=dead}}</ref> he was sentenced to four months in prison, and freed after half of his sentence on 15 February 1991,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watts |first1=Charles |title=27 years on: The inside story of Tony Adams' return from prison as told by those who were there |url=https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/arsenal-news-tony-adams-highbury-14297249 |access-date=12 October 2022 |publisher=Football London |date=16 February 2018}}</ref> but continued drinking for another six years. Adams in a 2024 interview said that in early 1996, aged 29, he was in a very dark period, not wanting to live when not playing football, unable to "do life". He was injured that February, removing football. One Sunday evening he drank seven bottles of [[Chablis wine|chablis]], so his (first) mother-in-law took the children.<ref name=interview24/>

From mid-1996, with help from a man he named only as "James W",<ref name=interview24/> he became one of the most high-profile [[recovering alcoholic]]s in the UK;<ref name="ias">{{cite journal|url=http://www.ias.org.uk/What-we-do/Publication-archive/Alcohol-Alert/Issue-3-1998/Adams-turns-his-back-on-alcohol.aspx|title=Adams turns his back on alcohol - review of Adams's ''Addicted''|author=Paul Whittaker|journal=Alcohol Alert|issue=1998–3|publisher=Institute of Alcohol Studies|date=March 1998}}</ref> his battle with alcohol is detailed in his [[autobiography]], ''Addicted'', which was released in May 1998 to critical acclaim.<ref name="ias" /> ''BBC News'' reported in 2001 that he had become [[teetotalism|tee-total]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Battling the booze|work=[[BBC News]]|date=4 October 2001|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/1578718.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728050312/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/1578718.stm|archive-date=28 July 2017}}</ref>

=== 1996–2002: Wenger's arrival and retirement ===

{{quote box
| quote = "When I first came to Arsenal, I realised the back four were all university graduates in the art of defending. As for Tony Adams, I consider him to be a doctor of defence."
| source = – Wenger hailing Adams' experience in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-artistic-and-cultural-influence-of-arsenals-famous-back-four/ |title=The Artistic and Cultural Influence of Arsenal's Famous Back Four |date=9 February 2017 |last=Magee |first=Will |website=Vice |access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 25%
}}Six weeks into Adams's sobriety, [[Arsène Wenger]] arrived as Arsenal manager in October 1996. Adams reflected in 2020 that Wenger understood his psychology, and knew of the dangers of alcohol, as his parents ran a pub.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wrack |first1=Susy |title=Tony Adams: 'Alcohol gave me a good hiding – I needed a lot of pain' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/31/tony-adams-alcohol-gave-me-good-hiding-i-needed-pain-sporting-chance-arsenal |access-date=12 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=31 January 2020}}</ref> Adams rewarded his manager's understanding handsomely, captaining the club to two [[FA Premier League|Premiership]] and FA Cup [[Double (association football)|Doubles]], in [[1997–98 in English football|1997–98]] and [[2001–02 in English football|2001–02]].<ref name="highs">{{cite news |title=Tony Adams' career highs and lows |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/feb/09/tony-adams-career-profile-portsmouth |access-date=12 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=9 February 2009}}</ref>

In August 2002, just before the start of the [[2002–03 in English football|2002–03]] season, Adams retired from professional football after a career spanning almost 20 years, his last match being the [[2002 FA Cup Final]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ridley |first1=Ian |title=Adams: the next chapter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/aug/11/newsstory.sport12 |access-date=12 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=11 August 2002}}</ref> He played 674 matches for Arsenal (only [[David O'Leary]] has played more) and was the most successful captain in the club's history. The number 6 shirt that Adams wore when playing was not used again until the [[2006–07 in English football|2006–07 season]], when it was assigned to [[Philippe Senderos]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mannion |first1=Damian |title=From Ronaldo to Owen, Dalglish to Clough, Adams to Senderos: famous numbers worn by crap players |url=https://talksport.com/uncategorized/143783/ronaldo-owen-dalglish-clough-adams-senderos-famous-numbers-worn-crap-pla-175835/ |access-date=12 October 2022 |publisher=Talksport |date=4 July 2012}}</ref>

Just before his retirement as a player, Adams had applied to become manager of [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] (who had just missed out on promotion to Division One) after the resignation of [[Steve Coppell]], but his application was rejected.<ref>{{cite news
| url        = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/2069118.stm
| title      = Brentford snub Adams
| work  = [[BBC Sport]]
| date       = 27 June 2002
| access-date = 8 January 2009
| location=London}}</ref>

Nicknamed "Mr Arsenal", he was honoured by Arsenal with a testimonial game against [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] in May 2002 with many Arsenal legends playing, including [[Ian Wright]], [[John Lukic]] and Adams's fellow back four stalwarts, Dixon, Winterburn and Bould. The game finished 1–1 with Lee Dixon, in his final appearance for the Gunners, getting their goal.<ref name="testimonial">{{cite news |last=Brodkin |first=Jon |date=14 May 2002 |title=A night out for the Adams family |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/may/14/newsstory.sport1 |access-date=28 October 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref> In March 2003, just seven months after his retirement and with Arsenal [[BBC Sport]] named Adams as the former Arsenal player that the club would most benefit from returning.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/2872203.stm | work=BBC News | title=Blast from the past: Part one | date=24 March 2003 | first=Tom | last=Fordyce}}</ref>

In 2004, Adams was inducted into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] in recognition of his impact on the English game, and in 2008 he was placed third in the 50 Greatest Gunners poll on the club's website.

A statue of Adams was placed outside Emirates Stadium in celebration of the club's 125th anniversary on 9 December 2011. Manager Herbert Chapman and Arsenal's all-time top goal scorer [[Thierry Henry]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Jeremy |title=Arsenal to unveil statues of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, and Herbert Chapman for 125th anniversary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8939187/Arsenal-to-unveil-statues-of-Thierry-Henry-Tony-Adams-and-Herbert-Chapman-for-125th-anniversary.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8939187/Arsenal-to-unveil-statues-of-Thierry-Henry-Tony-Adams-and-Herbert-Chapman-for-125th-anniversary.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=7 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and later [[Dennis Bergkamp]], were also immortalised with statues outside the ground.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arsenal unveil Dennis Bergkamp statue |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-26303200 |access-date=2 September 2020 |work=BBC News |date=22 February 2014}}</ref>