42 Facts About Paul Merson

1.

Paul Charles Merson was born on 20 March 1968 and is an English former professional footballer, manager, commentator and sports television pundit for Sky Sports.

2.

Originally a forward, Merson found success as an attacking midfielder and playmaker later in his career.

3.

Paul Merson later had short spells with non-league clubs Tamworth, Welshpool Town, Caerau and Hanworth Villa.

4.

Paul Merson was capped 21 times for the England national football team and represented the nation at 1992 UEFA European Championship and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

5.

Paul Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 team, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

6.

In 1991, Paul Merson achieved another league championship with Arsenal and had the highest goalscoring season of his career with 13 goals.

7.

Paul Merson won a double of the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993, scoring in the 1993 Football League Cup Final against Sheffield Wednesday.

8.

Paul Merson's career was put on the line in November 1994 when he admitted to having addictions to alcohol, cocaine and gambling.

9.

The Football Association arranged for Paul Merson to undergo a three-month rehabilitation programme and he returned to the side in February 1995, just before the dismissal of George Graham as manager.

10.

Under caretaker manager Stewart Houston, Paul Merson helped Arsenal reach the Cup Winners' Cup final for the second season in a row, where Arsenal lost to Real Zaragoza at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

11.

Paul Merson played 423 times for Arsenal and scored 99 goals in all competitions.

12.

In 2008, Paul Merson was ranked the 26th greatest Arsenal player of all-time in a fan poll published by the club's official website.

13.

Paul Merson said he was offered a new contract at Arsenal but turned it down for a longer contract and higher wages at Middlesbrough.

14.

Paul Merson played a key role in helping Boro return to the Premier League and was nicknamed by fans as "The Magic Man".

15.

Paul Merson scored on his Villa debut, converting from his own missed penalty.

16.

Paul Merson said in an interview that playing at Villa was the best part of his career.

17.

Paul Merson scored a 'wonder goal' winner versus Everton away from forty five yards out in November 2000.

18.

Paul Merson felt that he was too old for a return to the Premiership, and wanted to move closer to his home in the West Midlands.

19.

In February 2004, Paul Merson admitted himself to the Sierra Tucson Clinic in Arizona to seek help for his gambling addiction under the advice and financial backing of the PFA, and missed several key games whilst Walsall slipped in the league from mid table mediocrity into the relegation zone.

20.

However, a couple of months after his return, Paul Merson was quickly thrown into the manager's spot at Walsall following Colin Lee's sacking for allegedly having talks with Plymouth Argyle over a vacant manager's position there.

21.

Walsall went out of all cup competitions against lower league teams, and it was reported that Paul Merson had had a rift with his wife, and had started drinking and gambling again, whilst the press reported on him inviting goalkeeper Mark Bosnich back into the game.

22.

Paul Merson responded by making several key signings on transfer deadline day; Julian Joachim, Andy Oakes, Anthony Gerrard, Craig Pead and David Perpetuini.

23.

Paul Merson's side went undefeated during May 2005, securing League One status for another year.

24.

However, the arrangement meant that until the end of the season, the majority of Paul Merson's wages were to be paid by the club he used to manage, Walsall.

25.

Paul Merson later announced his retirement from professional football as a player on 9 March 2006, less than a month after joining Tamworth.

26.

On 11 October 2017, Paul Merson signed for Welsh Football League Division Three team Caerau.

27.

In December 2019, Paul Merson joined Hanworth Villa in the Combined Counties League Premier Division, making two appearances for the Villains in total.

28.

Paul Merson first played for the England national team in 1991, being called up by Graham Taylor.

29.

Paul Merson made his debut for the full England side, in a friendly against Germany on 11 September 1991.

30.

Paul Merson participated in the 1992 European Championships in Sweden.

31.

Paul Merson played a part in the failed campaign to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

32.

Paul Merson next played against the Netherlands as a substitute for Paul Gascoigne who was injured.

33.

Paul Merson nearly equalised the opening Dutch goal, and hit the post with an excellent free-kick.

34.

Paul Merson ended up in a dangerous area and was involved in trying to break up a fight while very drunk himself.

35.

Paul Merson held the distinction of being the only player in England's 1998 FIFA World Cup squad not to play for a top flight club.

36.

Paul Merson continues to play for the England Legends, a 16-man squad of former internationals who have played Italy, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and the rest of the world.

37.

Paul Merson's main job is on Sky Sports, where he is a match reporter and regular pundit for Gillette Soccer Saturday.

38.

Paul Merson is often the target of good-humoured jabs from Jeff Stelling and other members of the Soccer Saturday panel; for example, in his attempts to pronounce the names of foreign players.

39.

However, Stelling himself, in September 2016, attempted to have Paul Merson agree with him that Ireland international Harry Arter should get an England call-up in the week Gareth Southgate took over in an emergency capacity following Sam Allardyce's dismissal.

40.

Paul Merson writes a weekly column for the Daily Stars 'Seriously Football' pullout every Saturday and predicts scores for the weeks premier league games called 'Paul Merson Predicts'.

41.

In October 2011, Paul Merson was involved in a car crash with a lorry on the M40 motorway near Warwick and arrested for drink-driving.

42.

In January 2020, Paul Merson spoke about how his drink, drug and gambling habits fuelled his struggles with mental health.