England's Former Left-Back Spent Days on the Street

Kenny Sansom was one of English football's best-known defenders. He made his professional debut for Crystal Palace at 16 and captained the England Under-21 side. He became a regular in the senior England defence, winning 86 caps between 1979 and 1988 and playing at two World Cups.

He spent eight years at Arsenal, making 314 appearances, before leaving for Newcastle United in 1988. He later played for Queens Park Rangers, Coventry, Everton, Brentford and Watford before retiring. After that he worked in the media, including for Arsenal's own club outlets.

In August 2013, when he was 54, Sansom told The Sun that he had been living on the street for ten days. Until then he had been staying with his sister, Mary. He said he had been dealing with personal problems for several years, that he had no money, and that he had struggled with drinking and gambling. In his words, he drank as much as he could get. He has also been through several rehabilitation programmes.

Arsenal responded publicly. A spokesman for the club said it was aware of Sansom's situation and had been providing him with ongoing support and guidance. The Professional Footballers' Association also offered help. Sansom himself said that Arsenal were trying to help him, but that he had to try to help himself.

The RTE report, published in August 2013, captures a single moment in a longer story. It describes his playing record and the support offered at that time, and does not report what happened afterwards.