9 former Premier League players who have served time in prison

Generally, players live a playboy lifestyle but it is not always enough to keep them out of trouble.

Players of big teams like Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and more have found themselves behind bars for their actions off the pitch. 

A host of former Premier League legends have had brushes with the law, with some even finding themselves sentenced to time in prison.

Whether be it money laundering or driving offences, some big names have been forced to spend time behind bars.

Some of these players spent days in locked up, while others were resigned to the cells for months, and even years.

Here are Kobbysports’ former Premier League footballers who found themselves in prison...

9. Ian Wright

Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright disclosed about his time in prison and claims it changed him as a person.

In 1982, aged 19, Wright decided not to pay his driving fines, which led to his conviction and two weeks in Chelmsford Prison.

"I did say I would never ever come to a place like that again. I knew I had to start doing the straight and narrow right thing," he said in 2016. "That was it."

8. Joey Barton

The former Newcastle United midfielder was found guilty of common assault and affray for an incident in Liverpool city centre, which was considered 'violent and cowardly' by the judge at the time.

Barton served 74 days out of 6 months prison sentence which he was handed in May 2008.

After just six weeks, he was handed an additional four months suspended sentence following admittance of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo.

7. Adam Johnson

Johnson is perhaps the most disgraced footballer with a high-profile case in the Premier League era, having served three years of his sentence.

Johnson engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan in 2016 and was convicted of child sex offences.

He was later sacked by Sunderland is now unlikely to return to the game.

6. Duncan Ferguson

In 1995, Ferguson spent 44 days of a three-month sentence in Glasgow’s Barlinnie prison after being found guilty of assault for headbutting Jock McStay.

The former Everton forward claims that spending time behind bars ruined his football career.

Plying his trades for Rangers at the time, the incident occurred on the pitch and thus became the first professional British player to serve jail time for an on-field assault.

5. Tony Adams

Adams infamously spent time in prison but he claims the experience did not teach him anything.

The ex-Arsenal defender was jailed for drink driving in 1990 and spent 57 days behind bars. He was found to be 27 times over the drink-drive limit after crashing his car.

“Prison didn’t teach me anything," Adams, who is also a recovering alcoholic, said. "There was no education about why I was in there or around my illness.

“I felt very secure and safe, which was scary. At the time I wasn’t conscious of it, but it was just like being in a hotel."

4. Eric Cantona

The legendary Manchester United striker, Eric Cantona was sentenced to two weeks in jail for one of the most embarrassing incidents in Premier League history.

In an away game at Crystal Palace, Cantona was sent off - he reacted to comments from a fan by remarkably kung-fu kicking him.

However, Cantona was released on bail and he spent a mere three hours in prison.

3. Jermaine Pennant

While under the influence of alcohol in 2005, ex-Arsenal youngster Pennant paid the price for ploughing his Mercedes into a lamp post.

Pennant was given a three-month sentence but he gained freedom after just a third of his time was served, he then says it had a big influence on his life.

“I think anyone that goes in there will change. It changed me and made me not want to go back in there ever again," he said in 2011.

2. Marlon King

King was jailed in 2009 for 18 months after he was found guilty of groping a woman and breaking her nose.

The former Birmingham and Wigan forward King was in London's packed Soho Revue Bar in December 2008 when the unfortunate incident happened, on a night where he was celebrating both his match-winning goal hours earlier and his wife's pregnancy. 

Also, in 2014, he was sentenced to prison a second time after being given an 18-month sentence for admitting dangerous driving.

1. Jan Molby

Liverpool legend Molby spent 12 years at the club but his time was briefly interrupted in the 1988/89 season.

He was behind bars for three months following a reckless driving incident.

About his time in prison, Molby said: "People say it's not that bad but it is. I didn't sleep for the first two days. I was scared.”

"My cellmate was a strange fella. He didn't know who I was, which worried me. If he had been a football fan I would have felt safe. He never said a word and he never slept, so I never slept."

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