Ed Greavsie
THIS LEGEND MUST BE SIR ACE INSPIRED PLAYERS TO OPEN UP
ked his eldest him to Warley Essex, but they
t to a pub near was a voluntary and a brandy, said, ‘What all the publicand the other gs I’m ashamed hat has haped. This is my ever drink.’ nlike a huge ber of other holics, that WAS st ever drink. n order to me sober he y much abanmorning. doned his social life. He stopped going out to pubs and made sure he wasn’t around drink. To this day he has not had a drink, even with everything that has gone on with his health.
“When we were out on the road doing dinners together, if there was a
JIMMY GREAVES’S brave decision to speak out about his battles with booze paved the way for many other footballers to open up.
George Best, Paul Gascoigne, Tony Adams, Paul Mcgrath, Malcolm Macdonald, Kenny Sansom and Gary Charles are some of the high-profile stars who have suffered addiction.
Tragically it claimed Best’s life in 2005, aged 59. Like Greavsie, Gazza nice-looking dessert he’d sometimes get me to taste it to make sure it hadn’t been cooked in alcohol.
“I’ve got more admiration for him now than when he was the greatest goal scorer in England.”
In the Sunday People interview, hopes his honesty about drinking can help fellow sufferers survive.
In 2011, before of one of his theatre shows with Greaves, he said: “I’m pleased to talk about it. There may be people coming to these dos who are like me, they might be drunk, struggling.
“They might want to hear my experience. I
a THE calls for Jimmy Greaves to be given
– it knighthood are absolutely bang on
ago. should have been done many years
He was the world’s most prolific goal
you scorer. A machine guaranteed to score two or three goals every game.
the He hasn’t yet been knighted because
World player who replaced him in the 1966
Cup final, Sir Geoff Hurst, scored a hat-trick. Greavsie’s goal scoring in many ways laid the path for modern strikers. That’s why I’m very passionate about giving him a knighthood.
We need to acknowledge what this man gave
English football.
Greavsie, who became a columnist for the paper up until the day he had a massive stroke in May 2015, said: “I have to face up to the truth. If I carry on drinking I will kill myself.
“I probably go through half a bottle of vodka before the pubs open in the know what it’s like waking up in the morning wanting a drink. I know what it’s like to put everything on the line for another drink.
“They might look at me and think, ‘I’m not alone.’”
Gazza added: “It’s great to have Jimmy. His drinking spell was a long time ago, but I’m sure he’ll be able to help
me if I get an urge.” And when the pubs open, I hit them. I drink beer in the pubs, not spirits. Then I carry on with vodka after they close.
“I’d say I drink a minimum of a bottle or a bottle-and-a-half of vodka and about 12 pints of beer a day.
“I am a very sick man. I am a social drinker who went off the rails, without realising it.
“I hope people will understand and have the compassion to realise this is a serious illness.”
Terry said: “He goes out once a week with his son Danny. He goes to the barbers and they have breakfast somewhere.
“He’s in a wheelchair permanently and he’s struggling. But he’s still there smiling when he can.”