Paul Charles Merson (born 20 March 1968) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, manager, commentator and sports television

pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

for

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

. Originally a forward, Merson found success as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and

playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing Passing (association football), passing moves which lead to Goal (sport), goals, through ...

later in his career. After making his debut for

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the 1986–87 season, Merson went on to play eleven seasons with the North London club. While with the Gunners, Merson was a key player in the club's success under Scottish manager George Graham, winning the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

twice, the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, the

Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

, and the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

. In 1997, he joined

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

, helping the club gain promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

and finish as runner-up in the 1997–98 Football League Cup. After joining

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

in 1998, Merson went on to become club

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and played for the team in the 2000 FA Cup final, the last to be held at the original

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. In 2002, he signed for second-tier

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and captained the club to the First Division Championship title and promotion to the Premier League. A year later, he returned to the West Midlands with

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

, where he went on to serve as

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

until he was sacked in February 2006. Merson was capped 21 times for the

England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...

and represented the nation at

UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...

and the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

Club career

Arsenal

Born on 20 March 1968 in

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

, North West London, Merson started his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1984. After a loan spell at

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

, then under manager Frank McLintock, he made his debut for the Gunners on 22 November 1986 against

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, and gradually established himself in George Graham's successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s. By the 1988–89 season he was a regular on the right wing, at the end of which Arsenal secured the First Division title with a stoppage time

Michael Thomas Michael or Mike Thomas may refer to: Entertainment * Michael M. Thomas (1936–2021), American novelist of financial thrillers * Michael Tilson Thomas (born 1944), American conductor, pianist, and composer * Michael Thomas (actor) (1952–2019), B ...

goal in the final game of the season against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

. Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 team, and was voted

PFA Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the ...

. In 1991, Merson achieved another league championship with Arsenal and had the highest goalscoring season of his career with 13 goals. He also won a double of the

and League Cup in 1993, scoring in the 1993 Football League Cup Final against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

. A year later, he helped Arsenal win its first European trophy in 24 years as the Gunners defeated

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

in Copenhagen to win the 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup. Merson's career was put on the line in November 1994 when he admitted to having addictions to

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

and

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

arranged for 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. Under caretaker manager Stewart Houston, Merson helped Arsenal reach the

Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

for the second season in a row, where Arsenal lost to

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system. Zarag ...

at the

Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...

in Paris. In 1995–96, Merson remained a regular first team player under Arsenal's new manager Bruce Rioch and continued to play regularly during the 1996–97 season following the appointment of

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development. ...

. In a somewhat surprising move, at the end of the 1996–97 Premiership campaign, in which Arsenal finished third, Merson was sold to relegated

in a £4.5million deal – making him the most expensive player ever signed by a non-Premiership club. Wenger had offered Merson a new two-year contract, but Merson elected to join Middlesbrough for a longer contract. Merson played 423 times for Arsenal and scored 99 goals in all competitions. In 2008, Merson was ranked the 26th greatest Arsenal player of all time in a fan poll published by the club's official website.

Middlesbrough

In the summer of 1997, Merson left the Gunners to sign for relegated Middlesbrough for a reported fee believed to be £4.5 million. Merson said he was offered a new contract at Arsenal but turned it down for a longer contract and higher wages at Middlesbrough. When telling Arsene Wenger of his decision, Merson claims Wenger told him he would be paid more at Middlesbrough than Dennis Bergkamp was paid at Arsenal. Merson made his league debut for Boro on the opening day in a 2–1 victory over Charlton Athletic. He played a key role in helping Boro return to the Premier League and was nicknamed by fans as "The Magic Man". Merson's form with Boro also won him a place in England's squad for

in France. Whilst at Middlesbrough he played in the 1998 Football League Cup Final.

Aston Villa

During the start of the 1998–99 season Merson stated he was home sick and wanted a return South. Middlesbrough later agreed to Merson's request and the 30-year-old was sold to Aston Villa for £6.75million. Merson scored on his Villa debut, converting from his own missed penalty. Merson said in an interview that playing at Villa was the best part of his career. He scored a 'wonder goal' winner versus Everton away from forty-five yards out in November 2000. Merson played a key creative role in the Villa side and helped them to the

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...

in 2000, where they lost 1–0 to Chelsea. Paul Merson

Portsmouth

Merson signed for Division 1 club

on a two-year contract in August 2002, and was instrumental in the club's promotion to the Premiership in 2002–03. Merson, however, felt that he was too old for a return to the Premiership, and wanted to move closer to his home in the West Midlands. In July 2003 he signed a two-year deal at

in the First Division, paying compensation to Portsmouth for his remaining year of contract.

Walsall

In February 2004, Merson admitted himself to the Sierra Tucson Clinic in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

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. However, a couple of months after his return, Merson was quickly thrown into the manager's spot at Walsall following

Colin Lee Colin Lee (born 12 June 1956) is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently head of football at South Dartmoor Community College in Ashburton, Devon along with Chris Beard. Playing career Lee began his football career w ...

's sacking for allegedly having talks with Plymouth Argyle over a vacant manager's position there. Merson led a bid to retain Division One status, but was hindered by a last-minute penalty against Crystal Palace, and eventually relegated after a 3–2 victory against Rotherham United whilst having to rely on Stoke City beating Gillingham on the final day. The following month, despite relegation, Merson was rewarded with the manager's job on a permanent basis. The 2004–05 season proved to be a difficult season for Merson, on and off the field. Walsall went out of all cup competitions against lower league teams, and it was reported that 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 Mark John Bosnich (; born 13 January 1972) is an Australian former professional association football, soccer player who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper, and sports pundit. He played in England for Premier League clubs ...

back into the game. Walsall slipped close to a second consecutive relegation. Merson responded by making several key signings on transfer deadline day; Julian Joachim, Andy Oakes, Anthony Gerrard (cousin of

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,2005–06 season; however, he was unable to lift Walsall out of the relegation zone, and with the club in 19th place, he was sacked on 6 February 2006 after his Walsall side lost 5–0 to Brentford at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...

Tamworth

Despite a number of offers from clubs as high as the Championship, Merson decided to drop down the leagues and play for part-time

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

club Tamworth, which surprised many but enthralled the Tamworth fans. However, the arrangement meant that until the end of the season, the majority of Merson's wages were to be paid by the club he used to manage, Walsall. Merson played just once, in the 2–1 home loss to Halifax Town. He was dropped to the bench for the following game, a 5–0 defeat away to

Grays Athletic Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Chadfields in nearby Tilbury. History The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former ...

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

Later career

On 28 March 2012, he made a one-off appearance for Mid Wales Football League side Welshpool Town, playing alongside fellow

pundit Chris Kamara against

Newbridge-on-Wye Newbridge-on-Wye ( ) is a small village in Powys, Wales. It lies, as its name suggests, on the River Wye, just downstream from the market town of Rhayader, and in the community of Llanyre. Location Newbridge-on-Wye is located roughly in the m ...

. Merson scored the opening goal in the 4–1 defeat at the Maes y Dre Recreation Ground. On 11 October 2017, Merson signed for Welsh Football League Division Three team Caerau. Following international clearance, he made his debut on 18 October against

Pontyclun Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a town and Community (Wales), community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge verthe Afon Clun, River Clun', the Clun being a tributa ...

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

International career

Euro 1992

Merson first played for the England national team in 1991, being called up by Graham Taylor. The 23-year-old made his debut for the full England side, in a friendly against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on 11 September 1991. He participated in the 1992 European Championships in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. He played in the opening 0–0 draw with

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. England went out after another 0–0 draw against the French and a 2–1 loss to hosts

1994 World Cup qualifying

Merson also played a part in the failed campaign to qualify for the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

. He played in the opening game, a 1–1 home draw with

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. He next played against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

as a substitute for Paul Gascoigne who was injured. England were leading 2–1, but crucially conceded a late penalty for a 2–2 draw. Merson also played in the 1993 US Cup against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

, nearly scoring in a 2–1 defeat to the later, Bodo Illgner saving from a 20-yard shot. He returned for the critical and controversial 2–0 defeat against the Dutch in Rotterdam. Merson nearly equalised the opening Dutch goal, and hit the post with an excellent free-kick. England failed to qualify for the World Cup. Taylor's successor, Terry Venables, told Merson that he would not get into the team owing to his life style of heavy drinking. In his book, ''How Not to be a Professional Footballer'', Merson refers to an incident in Chicago while on duty with England during the US Cup. After drinking he wandered off into the city on his own. Merson ended up in a dangerous area and was involved in trying to break up a fight while very drunk himself. When the combatants turned on Merson, he fled back to the hotel. The next morning the FBI came to the hotel and briefed the players on the dangers in the city. They expressed surprise that Merson was not injured in the incident.

1998 World Cup

Merson held the distinction of being the only player in England's

squad not to play for a top flight club. In that tournament, he played in England's famous second round match against

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, coming off the bench and scoring in the

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

, although England eventually lost. Later he said if England had won their penalty shoot-out he believed England would have won the World Cup. 1998 marked the end of Merson's international career after 21 full caps in seven years, in which he scored three times.

Media career

In August 2006, he commenced a column for the official Arsenal FC magazine. He also 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. Merson's main job is on

, where he is a match reporter and regular pundit for Gillette Soccer Saturday. 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. However, Stelling himself, in September 2016, attempted to have Merson agree with him that Ireland international

Harry Arter Harry Nicholas Arter (born 28 December 1989) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder, central or defensive midfielder for Precision Football, Precision in the UAE Second Division League. He began hi ...

(who had made his debut against England) should get an England call-up in the week

Gareth Southgate Sir Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional Association football, football manager and player, who played as a Defender (association football), defender and midfielder. A Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace Crystal ...

took over in an emergency capacity following Sam Allardyce's dismissal. Merson writes a weekly column for the ''Daily Star''s 'Seriously Football' pullout every Saturday and predicts scores for the weeks premier league games called 'Merson Predicts'. From the 2012–2015 season Merson co-hosted with John Fendley on the Sky Sports TV programme 'Fantasy Football Club'. From the start of the 2015 season Max Rushden took on co presenting after John Fendley returned to Soccer AM as a co-host. Fantasy Football Club is aired weekly on Friday evenings at 6pm. Both co-hosts also co-managed a fantasy team in the Sky Fantasy 'Celebrities' League. In 2019, Merson won the second series of the

5Star 5Star (stylized as 5STAR) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It originally laun ...

competition '' Celebs on the Farm''. From September 2024, Merson was a contestant on the twenty-second series of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' and was partnered with Karen Hauer. The couple remained until week 5 when, on 20 October 2024, they lost in the dance-off.

Personal life

Born in Harlesden, North West London, Merson supported Chelsea growing up, and has remained a fan throughout his career. He has been married three times (to Lorraine, Louise and now Kate), and has eight children, including one set of twin girls. His first marriage crumbled under his recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. In October 2011, Merson was involved in a car crash with a lorry on the

M40 motorway The M40 motorway links London, Oxford, and Birmingham in England, a distance of approximately . The motorway is dual three lanes except for junction 1A to junction 3 (which is dual four lanes) a short section in-between the exit and entry hig ...

near

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

and arrested for drink-driving. While appearing on '' Harry's Heroes: The Full English'', a 2019 ITV documentary, Merson opened up about how substance abuse and gambling have affected his life, and his continued struggles with addictions. He received praise for his candid discussion of the topic. In the second series Merson confided in former Arsenal teammate, goalkeeper

David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...

, that he voluntarily attends

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

, including English speaking meetings in Paris, during breaks in filming for ITV's Harry's Heroes: Euro...Having a Laugh, football tour S2.Ep1. Merson participated in the Mental Health Awareness Week. In January 2020, Merson spoke about how his drink, drug and gambling habits fuelled his struggles with

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

. In February 2024, Merson was probed by the Advertising Standards Authority for misconduct while promoting and advertising Supreme CBD, owned by ex-boxer Anthony Fowler. Fowler along with other celebrities including Merson,

Matt Le Tissier Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton F.C., Southampton, before turning to non- ...

and

John Hartson John Hartson (born 5 April 1975) is a Welsh former professional footballer, coach and sports television pundit for S4C, Sky Sports, Premier Sports TV and TNT Sports. As a player he was a striker, notably for Scottish club Celtic where his ti ...

have all been investigated and issued with a warning by the ASA. The ASA investigation concluded that their social media posts have been found to be commercial in nature, and not "honest" opinions about the benefits of CBD, since they were being financially rewarded for their posts. The investigation also concluded that the posts made by these celebrities were making unlawful medical claims about the use of CBD, which is prohibited by the

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are accepta ...

. In May 2024, Merson was banned from driving for six months following a series of speeding offences. During a Thanksgiving NFL show on Sky in November 2024, Merson revealed that he is a fan of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Career statistics

Honours

Arsenal *

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

: 1988–89, 1990–91 *

: 1992–93 *

: 1992–93 * Football League Centenary Trophy: 1988 *

FA Charity Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

: 1993–94 *

European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

runner-up:

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Middlesbrough *Football League Cup runner-up: 1997–98 Aston Villa *

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

Portsmouth *Football League First Division: 2002–03 Individual *

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

: 1997–98 First Division, 2002–03 First Division 2004–05 Football League One *

: 1989 * Alan Hardaker Trophy:

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

* North-East FWA Player of the Year: 1998 * Premier League Player of the Month: February 2000

References

External links

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Profile
at sporting-heroes.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Merson, Paul 1968 births 1998 FIFA World Cup players Living people People from Harlesden Footballers from the London Borough of Brent English men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers England men's B international footballers England men's international footballers Men's association football wingers Arsenal F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Tamworth F.C. players Welshpool Town F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players National League (English football) players UEFA Euro 1992 players English football managers Walsall F.C. managers English Football League managers English autobiographers English male non-fiction writers Hanworth Villa F.C. players