Arsenal legend Paul Merson is fighting to stay in the competition as Strictly Come Dancing returns this weekend. Merson and dance partner Karen Hauer just survived to strut their stuff another day in Week 3, but there’s a feeling it might only be a matter of time before he’s out.

The Soccer Saturday analyst has faced and overcome challenges before, with his hardest fights taking place off the football field. And the two-time First Division champion has been open about his battles with addiction and the impact they’ve had on his mental health over the years.

There’s seldom a dull moment in the thrilling life and career of a man who netted 99 goals in 423 matches for Arsenal. And The Mirror has delved into the Premier League icon’s history as he faces a crucial moment on Sunday.

Net worth

It’s impossible to forecast what Merson could have earned as a footballer in today’s market given the dramatic rise in footballers’ salaries over the last two decades. However, the retired midfielder has previously admitted he squandered around £7million of his career earnings on gambling, alcohol and drugs.

Nonetheless, Merson has carved out a successful career as a pundit and is a regular on Soccer Saturday. Jive Dash approximated that the 56-year-old’s net worth currently sits at around £12m, with his TV appearances and sales from his two books likely making up the bulk of that wealth.

In the final two years of his playing career, Merson was at Walsall, where he took on the role of player-manager before departing in early 2006. This marked the brief totality of his coaching career, and the former Premier League favourite has remained retired aside from a few sporadic appearances in amateur competitions.

Love life and eight children

While at Arsenal, Merson married childhood sweetheart Lorraine Costin, and the pair had three sons – Charlie, Ben and Sam – over the course of a decade-long marriage. However, their union ended in 2001 when Lorraine uncovered the full extent of his gambling habits.

His second marriage to Louise Bache reportedly ended under similar circumstances after they got married and welcomed twin daughters Mollie and Maisie. Once again, gambling was a factor in their 2013 separation.

Merson wed for the third time to Kate, with whom he shares three more children: son Freddie, along with daughters Sienna and Sadie. Paul and Kate recently marked the eighth anniversary of their nuptials, with that success possibly down to the fact Paul is on a carefully monitored ‘allowance’ set by his partner.

Cocaine addiction

Delving into his past struggles, Merson openly disclosed in an emotional 1994 press conference his battle with cocaine addiction. The ex-footballer’s frank admission prompted The Football Association to step in and place him in rehab, which was largely effective.

“I started going to an all-night pub in Smithfield Market. Drinking on my own and snorting in the toilets,” he once penned for the Daily Mail. “I’d hail a black cab at 8am to take me up to training and even have a couple of big hits sitting in the back. I had bookies chasing me, dealers chasing me. I settled one cocaine debt by handing over my Arsenal blazer and reporting it stolen. Paranoia took over.”

Gambling

Despite facing a tumultuous journey, Merson emerged victorious against his demons of alcohol and drug dependency, realigning his professional trajectory. However, he found gambling – a prevalent challenge among footballers – a tougher habit to shake off, especially when at the height of his playing days.

The footballer triumphed over his battles with alcohol and drugs, but it’s the gambling that has wreaked the most havoc. Merson once confessed: “Every day it would go through my head about committing suicide.”

After first facing these challenges during his playing days, it wasn’t long ago Merson disclosed how his struggles have continued, having gambled away a £160,000 deposit for a family home on table tennis bets during Covid-19 lockdown. The addiction has been so overpowering that the ex-Arsenal star admitted he has contemplated self-harm to overcome his urges.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he once said: “The only time I felt relieved was when I had nothing left,” adding, “When I got to zero I was like, ‘I don’t have to do this any more.’ How mad is that? I was playing at Aston Villa playing away at Charlton. No one ever shared a room with me because I was gambling and never slept in the afternoon and I wanted to break my fingers so I couldn’t pick the phone up – that’s how bad the compulsion was.”