I made my Premier League debut for Arsenal hungover – sorry Arsene Wenger

Jermaine Pennant has said ‘sorry’ to Arsene Wenger for being hungover on his full Premier League debut for Arsenal against Southampton.

Pennant was thrown into the Arsenal XI for the first time in May 2003, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win despite heavily drinking the night before.

The 41-year-old drank lots of alcohol – including tequila – as he partied all night at an event hosted by FHM, a former printed men’s lifestyle magazine, getting barely any sleep ahead of the biggest moment of his career.

Pennant has acknowledged his behaviour was unprofessional and has issued an apology to Wenger after trying to hide the smell of vodka on his breath and even plotting to get himself substituted early into the match.

‘FHM was a fantastic magazine,’ Pennant told talkSPORT. ‘It was brilliant. Top notch. Top tier. I think it’s up there with Loaded. Anway, they had a party on the Friday. You can imagine what type of party it was like.

‘All the boys were going. Ashley Cole went. But he wasn’t in the squad. He was being rested for some reason. He had the weekend off. I was in the squad. That’s all I knew.

‘My name was on the (squad) list. I was told around 11.30 at the hotel. I’ve never started, so I thought nothing would change, worst case scenario… no, best case scenario… I am on the bench and I come on for the last five minutes.

‘I was thinking, you know what, is it worth it? And I thought, yeah. It’s the FHM party. Of course it’s worth it. The boys were telling me not to do it and that I was going to start.

‘I was saying, ‘absolutely not’ – I’m not going to start in front of these other guys. There wasn’t a chance. I said I would be home by 12am, they were fuming. I wouldn’t be asleep if I was at home anyway. I go out, they ignore me for a bit, all the boys, because they are raging.

‘I go to the party and it is bouncing. I said I’ll have one cheeky one. Next thing you know, it’s 4am. Shots are out. Tequilas. Sambucas. So I get in at 6.30am. I’ve got to report in at 11am. I’ve had three hours sleep.

‘I go there and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, what have I done’ – Arsene (Wenger) is trying to talk to me. I’m looking the other way so he can’t smell the vodka. I was 21. You know what I mean? I wouldn’t advise it now!

‘I felt sick [when I was saw my name in the starting line-up]. I was thinking I would be on the bench with a load of Lucozade and I could recover that way.

‘He said my name and I had to double take. I thought he said Parlour! Patrick Vieira is telling me, ‘this is your time’ – and I’m like, no Pat, it’s not, leave me out!

‘I’m thinking, what can I do to get subbed off? I’m in no fit state to play 90 minutes. Then I scored.

‘Then I thought I’d wait till half-time. Then I scored again. Then I got the hat-trick. Then I thought, ‘I’m staying on!’ – sorry Arsene. It wasn’t very professional.’

Arsenal signed Pennant from Notts County in 1999 but he only made 26 appearances over a six-year spell before he was sold to Birmingham City.