The ObserverSunday, 12 April 2026

The cover frames the piece as a retrospective, character-led interview, using a familiar football idiom to signal a discussion of the subject's personal turning points alongside historical sporting events.

Tony Adams is a former England and Arsenal football captain whose career coincided with both high-profile struggles with alcoholism and significant on-pitch success. The 1996 European Championship, hosted in England, is widely regarded as a cultural watershed moment for English football.

“the year that changed everything”