Arsenal hero who was ‘penniless and sleeping exterior Sainsbury’s’ makes uncommon look
An Arsenal icon who was once “left penniless and was sleeping outside of Sainsbury’s” made a rare appearance during an EFL clash on Saturday afternoon
Kenny Sansom was all smiles at Coventry(Image: PA)
An Arsenal hero was ‘left penniless and was sleeping outside of Sainsbury’s’ has made a rarer appearance on Saturday afternoon.
Kenny Sansom made an emotional return to his former club when he appeared on the pitch for Coventry City’s Championship clash with Hull City at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Sansom, 67, turned out for Sky Blues between 1991 and 1993.
And he was in attendance for their 2-1 win, moving them clear of Middlesbrough, who play on Sunday, at the summit of the table. However, he is perhaps best known for his eight-year spell at Arsenal – where he made over 300 appearances.
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However, after hanging up his boots, Sansom became embroiled in a battle with alcoholism and gambling addiction.
Back in 2016, he was the subject of a dramatic ‘celebrity intervention’ on the Jeremy Kyle Show, where it was revealed that he nearly died after his mother’s funeral. A few months later, Sansom was pictured in a fragile state in a supermarket car park.
The former Arsenal left-back was spotted asleep outside a Sainsbury’s store alongside empty bottles of white wine. Wearing an unbuttoned white shirt, he slept for around three hours in broad daylight.
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One of Sansom’s close friends told the Daily Mail that he was at his “lowest point in years”. He said: “He starts drinking again whenever he struggles to deal with his thoughts and feelings.
“He’s never addressed the death of his mother years ago, his dad wasn’t around, and he feels like he went from being one of England’s best ever defenders to a no-one almost overnight.
“He knows he needs help and admits that but refuses to talk to a counsellor. Unless he does, the drink is going to kill him.”
However, Sansom has since managed to rebuild his life from the ground up after tackling his battle with booze. And he has admitted he is much happier despite suffering from Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder similar to dementia.
“I played 86 times for England and if I didn’t drink, I would have played a lot more,” he told the Daily Mail in 2023. “I’d love to be able to help people who drink, to tell them my story, tell them what it does to you.
