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Burdened by debt and personal tragedy the self-confessed gambling, alcohol and drug addict drank the night away, sang and danced and chatted up women.
But behind the matey bluster, twice-divorced
Merson admitted he was in a private hell with no way out. He confessed: "I've been in a bad place - tried to get out of it with all sorts of things like drinks, drugs and gambling. I'm still in a bad place now.
"My former wife got back with her ex three days ago. I feel shattered by it but I'm trying to move on. There's nothing else you can do.
"You can't waste time on these things. Life's too short. Tomorrow never comes so I live for today. You've got to live for the moment."
Earlier in the evening, Merson had dropped off his four-year-old twin girls at mum Louise's home in nearby Four Oaks, West Midlands.
Parting with them was too much to bear. He recalled: "As I drove them home, I burst into tears. I couldn't help it. The girls were going 'Daddy, daddy, please stop! What's the matter? Please don't cry'.
"I couldn't stop. It was horrible. But you can't dwell on it." Then he repeated, as if desperately trying to convince himself of hope around the corner: "I have to move on."
Yesterday friends of the once-brilliant Arsenal, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough player said they feared for the fallen star's future.
One said: "He's a tragedy waiting to happen and all the signs are it's going to get worse.
"Now Paul has finished playing, he's got nothing else to do except let his demons take control. It's so sad.
"He's in terrible trouble financially, constantly gambling and drinking excessively. Then, when he's out of his skull on booze or drugs, he starts chasing skirt.
"Women can't resist him. Blokes are chuffed as they're drinking with the great Merson. But they're just encouraging his addictions."
In six months Merson - capped 21 times for England - has frittered away more than £100,000 profit made from selling his former marital home in Tanworth in Arden, Warks, for £1.2million.
He is supporting his twins following his divorce last year from second wife Louise, 38. He is also paying maintenance for sons aged 15, 14 and 13 by his first marriage to Lorraine, 36.
APART from occasional work as a TV soccer pundit, he has no income. Yet his debts from obsessive internet gambling are enormous.
This week he decided to drown his sorrows with a booze-up with friends at his favourite pub, the Old Swan in Stonnall, Staffs.
After entering the pub at 7.30pm he downed bottles of Becks beer before moving on to whisky. Extravagantly, he insisted on buying drinks for the company all night.
As the evening carried on, the former international, dressed in an expensive patterned jumper, white T-shirt and jeans, became increasingly raucous.
He and a friend treated regulars to several renditions of the Black Eyed Peas hit single My Humps. These were accompanied by an embarrassing dance routine in which both men wiggled their hips then hitched up their tops to admire each other's beer guts.
Unshaven Merson - sacked last month as manager of Walsall - made frequent advances to women who he tried to tempt back to his £300,000 apartment in nearby Mere Green.
He posed for photos, boasted of his sexual prowess and suggested the party left for somewhere more private.
By this time he was unsteady, slurring his words and repeating himself.
But however many drinks went down and however many jokes were cracked, the pain just would not go away.
Merson continued to insist he was in a "bad place" and finally declared he needed to get out.
After a failed last attempt to persuade any women to join him, he abruptly left the pub with two friends.
They announced that they were off to visit the clubs of Birmingham 25 miles away and headed out into the night.
Merson started out as a striker with Arsenal. He won two championship medals and was in the legendary George Graham squad that won the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.
The first signs of trouble surfaced in November 1994 when he admitted being an alcoholic and cocaine addict. In 1997 Merson joined Middlesbrough who won promotion to the Premiership. The following year he moved to Villa on a £7million signing.
By 2,000 his problems with drugs, alcohol and gambling were so severe they cost him his 15-year marriage to Lorraine.
Merson joined Portsmouth in 2002, helping them to win promotion to the Premiership.
But the tormented player was still plagued by inner demons.
In November 2003 he spent a night in the cells and was cautioned after allegedly assaulting Louise. Three months later he admitted himself to a US clinic to cure his gambling addiction.
That June he and Louise split. Louise said yesterday: "I don't want to talk about it."
Merson moved to Walsall as a player manager. After being sacked following a 5-0 defeat to Brentford he moved to National Conference side Tamworth,
But he played only one game before hanging up his boots.
The star's international caps included the 1998 World Cup in which he scored a penalty in the shootout defeat by Argentina.
He was a star.. now Paul's lost his wives, his home and his money.. and he's still on the booze
Its a shame Merson started his post Walsall career with such promise but he has quickly lowered himself to what we all feared he would. I only hope Paul can get help for his problems so he can get himself in the right state to re-turn to football management.
Initially i thought oh dear if he was at Walsall would this have happened? Then i came to the conclusion thank god we acted when we did because if his ex was the trigger then this relapse propably would have happened regardless - while in charge of us!!