As a top flight footballer who has famously battled drug, alcohol and gambling addictions, Paul Merson is not exactly known for his clean-living.
But now the troubled Arsenal and Strictly star has seemingly become an eco-warrior – having turned his hand to fighting climate change.
The Sky Sports pundit this week shared his thoughts after a report by the British Association of Sustainable Sport suggests one in four professional football pitches will be underwater in 25 years.
Rewriting Earth, a charity based in Wiltshire, has been urging fans to get behind a campaign calling on MPs to take the impact of climate change on grassroots football more seriously.
The 56-year-old Strictly star was asked by BBC Sport about the issue, but some fans felt the cha-cha loving broadcaster was not really qualified to give his views.
Troubled Arsenal and Strictly star Paul Merson has seemingly become an eco-warrior – having turned his hand to fighting climate change
Merson attended a Save Our Grassroots event at Hackney Marshes on Thursday to highlight the threat of climate change to sports
In an interview with BBC Sport, Merson gave his thoughts on climate change and the potential threat to football pitches from waterlogging
Some fans felt the broadcaster and former football player was not qualified to give his views
In a clip appearing on X, Merson, who was visiting Hackney Marshes on Thursday, said: ‘It’s just unthinkable to think this place could be underwater. Whenever it is, it will.
‘If not, it will be waterlogged. And if it’s waterlogged you can’t play Sunday.
‘People live for this, they live for Sunday mornings. Playing football and meeting up with their mates and having a social.
‘I think we’ve just got to get the message out there. With climate change and everything, people are like “Oh it won’t happen in my lifetime.” But it’s happening.
‘It’s happening and if it doesn’t happen in your lifetime it will happen with your children or your grandchildren and so on.
‘For me it’s important to get here and get the message [across].’
Some social media users were quick to voice their opinion of Merson’s views on climate change.
One said: ‘I remember when Merse just used to talk about football…’
Another said: ‘This is so cringe,’ while a third said: ‘Is he for real? @PaulMerse you’ve headed too many footballs.’
In a separate Instagram post from the same event organised by Save Our Grassroots and The Climate Coalition, Merson added: ‘From six years old I’ve been playing on pitches like this, Sunday morning football.
‘It’s part of life, it’s unthinkable this could be under water in 11 years time, it’s mind blowing.’
A number of other celebrities are backing the awareness campaign, including football pundit Gary Lineker, author Cindy Forde, broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder, naturalist Steve Backshall, British rower Helen Glover and presenter Ben Shepherd, as well as a string of premier league football clubs.
Merson enjoyed an illustrious football career before becoming a TV presenter and more recently, star of Strictly.
He made a total of 749 club appearances and won 21 full England caps during his footballing career.
The talented football scored 154 goals and three international goals during before his retirement from the sport.
A product of the Arsenal youth system, the Harlesden-born forward went onto play for Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Walsall.
Merson has been entertaining millions with his stint on BBC One’s Strictly
He performed a Western-themed cha cha in last week’s episode with pro dancer Karen Hauer
While signed to Arsenal, Merson won two league titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup winners’ Cup.
After hanging up his boots he also managed Walsall for three years, before being sacked in 2006.
Three-times married Merson is a father-of-eight.
He was formerly married to Lorraine Costin for ten years in the 1990s, getting together when they were both 21 and they share three boys.
Merson went on to marry Louise Bache and have twin girls, before the couple split in 2013.
Today he shares a £900,000 house with his wife, Kate, and their three children, aged nine, six and three years-old, with the eldest attending Chelsea FC’s football academy.
In 2021 Merson revealed his gambling addiction cost him almost £7 million, resulting in the losses of houses, cars, his pension, marriages and ultimately his self-respect.
He movingly opened up about his troubled past in his 2021 autobiography, Hooked.
Merson revealed: ‘Normal people can have a bet and not empty their bank accounts.
‘Normal people can have a couple of drinks and go home when they’d said they would, not ten hours later p***** out of their minds.
‘And, although it’s dangerous and illegal, some people seem to dabble in drugs without craving them constantly.
‘I’m not like that. I have an addictive personality. I go all-in.
Merson, pictured during his time as a player with Arsenal, has spoken openly about his alcohol and drug addictions
‘I placed my first bet at 16 and lost my entire first month’s wages at Arsenal in ten minutes at William Hill.
‘And I didn’t stop until, eventually, I’d lost everything I’d ever had – close to £7 million, including houses, cars, marriages, my entire pension and my self-respect.’
Last month, Merson spoke openly about his addictions in an interview before his stint on Strictly began.
He told The Daily Mirror: ‘Being an addict and a recovering alcoholic myself….to show people watching this show who have got addictions, that you can go out and do something like this…is so important.’
‘Because addiction takes you away from everything. That’s all it ever does. It wants you on your own.’
Paul said he hoped his story of addiction and recovery might inspire others as he prepared to take to the dancefloor.
He added: ‘Now I’m going in front of millions of people doing something I’m not very good at. I used to think, “I can’t do things like that” but now I’ve got the opportunity to try.’