Happy birthday, "Mr Arsenal"

Posted Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by ESPN

Happy birthday,

If there was ever a man who epitomized Arsenal's never-say-die spirit, it was Tony Adams.

ESPNSTAR.com remembers the man and all he brought to the game.

By Kelvin Tan

In an age where footballers kiss the badge and drop in transfer requests all within the same week, it is hard to find individuals who stay at the same club from the dawn to the twilight of their careers.

For Arsenal fans, that is what makes Adams even more special.

Tony Alexander Adams was born on 10th October, 1966, in modest surroundings at Romford. His father Alex, a roofer who had played for West Ham's reserve team, helped his son begin his career with Arsenal in 1980 as a 14-year-old schoolboy. Three years later, Adams made his debut in a 2-1 loss to Sunderland, impressing with the timing of his tackles, reading of the game and aerial ability.

Although it wasn't the most auspicious of starts, the central defender persevered, believing in his own ability, and took won his first medal with the North London club at the 1987 Littlewoods Cup Medal after beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley. He became the club's youngest-ever captain at the age of 21.

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