Former Arsenal and England star Kenny Sansom was once photographed sleeping in a supermarket car park after being left destitute and homeless by his alcohol addiction. Sansom, who captained the Gunners to a League Cup win in 1987 and earned 86 caps for the Three Lions, held the record for the most England appearances by a defender until Ashley Cole overtook him.

After his retirement in 1994, Sansom battled alcoholism and gambling addiction. In 2016, he appeared in a dramatic 'celebrity intervention' on the Jeremy Kyle Show, where it emerged that he nearly died following his mother's funeral. A few months later, Sansom was photographed in a distressing state in a supermarket car park.

The legendary Arsenal left-back was spotted sleeping outside a Sainsbury's store beside empty wine bottles. Wearing an unbuttoned white shirt, he slept for approximately three hours in broad daylight.

At the time, a close friend of Sansom's told the Daily Mail that he was at his "lowest point in years" and needed to be sectioned for the sake of his mental health.

They reportedly 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."

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Four years later, Sansom was left battling for his life in hospital after being attacked while in a 'vulnerable' state. He spent 18 days in a coma and was forced to relearn how to walk, talk and eat from scratch.

Sansom has since been able to rebuild his life after confronting his battles with alcohol and coming out on top. He is reportedly far happier these days despite living with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain condition similar to dementia.

He told the Daily Mail in 2023: "I played 86 times for England and if I didn't drink, I would have played a lot more. I'd love to be able to help people who drink, to tell them my story, tell them what it does to you.

"What do you say to someone who drinks? It's very difficult but I'd like to help. It messes people up and it makes you a fool. I'm meant to be funny, I'd tell a good joke every now and then. I don't think they're funny anymore.

"I can enjoy my kids and my grandkids. I can take them to football matches. I can take them wherever they want, when I want. It's up to me. It's all I want to do now. I feel like I'm their dad [whereas before] I was a drunk.

"Once I started drinking, oh dear, it was a nightmare. Drink drove me crazy. The more I drunk, the more I liked it. If I was sitting in a bar, I'd drink six bottles of wine. It's bloody crazy."