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Just like the legendary England left-back, Kenny Sansom, I love a song – and the one that comes to mind when I think of Kenny is, ‘Thanks for the Memory’. That might sound a bit like an obituary, but I can assure you that one of the best left-backs the world has ever seen is still very much alive and kicking.

My first impression of young Kenny Sansom was, ‘You might not be very tall, son, but you’ve got the body of a middleweight boxer with determination and guts to match.’ He was 16 years old, short and stocky with tremendous upper-body power. But it was his lightning pace that made him one of the best left-backs of all time.

The combination of his natural talent and hard work ethic ensured his success; he was quite simply magnificent. It took only nine years for him to notch up an amazing eighty-six caps for England, and I make him one of the top three left-backs ever to grace this country – the other two being Kenny’s successor, Stuart Pearce, and the terrific Ray Wilson.

I am very proud to have worked with Kenny. Thinking back to the seventies when I coached and managed him brings a smile to my face. He was warm and funny – a real character and joker. He took this easy manner onto the training ground where he added determination and hard work to his repertoire. Add a touch of genius and we have the package that has made him a football legend.

Kenny and I spent hours and hours practising skills and tactical moves – he opposite me, with us moving step for step as he copied my footwork. It was like looking in the mirror. Magical.

For almost a decade nobody could go by him. Passing Kenny Sansom was impossible. He created terrible problems for the opposition as he nicked the ball and made off with it down the left wing. Although a defender, he also loved to attack the game.

Those days at Crystal Place in the late seventies and early eighties were brilliant. Kenny is a true family man and therefore fitted in well with the ‘family ethic’ at Selhurst Park. I had just taken over from Malcolm Allison and we were floundering in the Third Division. I sensed the boys in the team were special and we were about to go to the top. I was proved right.

By the 1979–80 season, we were flying high in the First Division – today’s Premiership; and we were widely referred to as ‘the Team of the Eighties’

In the summer of 1980, I sold Kenny to Arsenal for more than a million. I was sorry he was leaving Selhurst Park, but also knew this was the right move for the young lad who was soon to become ‘King Kenny’ of the Arsenal.

Ron Greenwood rated Kenny highly. He knew he had all the qualities needed to be a part of the England squad. Everyone in the world of football has great affection for him.

But life is a funny old thing, as is the world of the footballer. Their career is a marathon – not a sprint. Staying power is an important ingredient in the psyche of a footballer. Yet throughout this long-distance run there are times when the player finds himself in a lonely place with time on his hands, and he can get lost in those moments.

I know Kenny gave 110 per cent to his work. But off the pitch, away from the glare of centre-stage, he was struggling in silence with his addictions. I’ve seen it all before with greats like George Best and Gazza. George didn’t make it, Gazza is trying, and now Kenny is going to tell you how his biggest battle is being won.

Now he’s at a crossroads. If he is hungry enough and prepared to put in just a fraction of the hard work I’ve seen in the past, he has the world at his left foot. (The right one’s not up to much!).

In the 1986 World Cup, Kenny was involved in one of the greatest football dramas of all time. When Diego Maradona scored his infamous illegal goal against England – allegedly with a little help from Him upstairs – Kenny was in the middle of the chaos. I think you’ll enjoy reading his full and frank account of what really happened.

Kenny and his family have had a tough time of late, but he’s a steely character. You don’t get to be England’s number one unless you’re special. And Kenny Sansom is special all right.

I always advised him to keep something up his sleeve – to hold something in reserve. Thank God he listened!

Terry Venables

April 2008