How old is Ray Parlour, who’s ex-Arsenal midfielder’s wife and why was he nicknamed the ‘Romford Pele’?
A key part of the Arsenal Invincibles side, Parlour spent more than a decade in the Gunners first-team
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THERE are few players that Arsenal fans remember as fondly as they remember Ray Parlour.
The former Gunners, Middlesbrough and Hull midfielder spent the majority of his career at Highbury - and is regarded by many supporters as the unsung hero of their success in the late 90s and early 2000s.
How old is Ray Parlour?
PARLOUR joined Arsenal as a trainee in 1989 and made his debut against Liverpool in January 1992.
Despite conceding a penalty in that game and then having a number of years as a bit-part player, he shone under the arrival of Arsene Wenger and quickly established himself as a hard-working cog in the Highbury winning machine.
A versatile midfielder who was just as likely to put in a crunching tackle as to crash one in from thirty yards, Parlour was often overlooked for his more stylish and flamboyant team-mates.
But he won three titles with Arsenal, including in their double triumphs of 1998 and 2002 - and memorably netted a stunning 30-yard strike to open the scoring in the FA Cup final triumph against Chelsea.
His success had earned him an England call-up in 1999, with the Arsenal star going on to pick up 10 caps in all - but was cruelly denied a spot at Euro 2000 thanks to a knee injury.
Parlous was known for his partying off the field and had a string of disciplinary issues earlier in his career, including an infamous run-in with a Hong Kong taxi driver while on tour.
Born in Romford in 1973, Parlour is currently 46 years old.
Who is the ex-Arsenal star's wife?
THE ARSENAL star married his wife Karen in 1998, with the pair having three children together.
But after a much-publicised and messy divorce, they separated in 2004 after three years of court battles.
Parlour has been with his current long-term girlfriend Joanne Jones since 2001 and they have two children together.
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Was his nickname the 'Romford Pele'?
BORN in Romford, the nickname given to Parlour was originally a tongue-in-cheek jibe from fellow Arsenal star Marc Overmars.
Parlour was unfussy and hard-working on the pitch, probably as far from Pele as you could imagine.
But the name has since stuck and he has a cult following among the Gunners faithful.