Tony Adams was hailed as a future England captain when Bobby Robson awarded him his first cap against Spain in 1987 - a match Robson’s team won 4-2 in the Bernabeu. His prediction was spot on.
Arsenal’s central defender, who negotiated the highs and lows of his career to become one of the most respected figures in the game, skippered the side 15 times during 66 international appearances.
He played in three European Championship Finals, scoring one of his five England goals in a group match against the USSR in 1988, and the 1998 World Cup Finals.
His last appearance was in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Germany in 2000 - the last match at the old Wembley and the day Kevin Keegan’s time as England coach came to an end.
Adams became Arsenal’s youngest captain at 21 and went on to lead his team to major success. The foundation was the famed Highbury back four, marshalled by Adams alongside full-backs Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn, with Steve Bould or Martin Keown partnering the captain in the middle.
Adams won four league titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the European Cup-winners' Cup, making a total of 668 appearances for the club before retiring at the end of the 2001-02 season.
His other major victory was overcoming a dependence on alcohol which led to him setting up the Sporting Chance charity to help youngsters deal with the problems he had faced.
After managing Wycombe, he broadened his coaching knowledge by spending time at Dutch clubs Feyenoord and Utrecht before becoming assistant to manager Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth.