7 former British & Irish footballers who have jumped up on the CBD train
Former Arsenal and Liverpool footballers are among those at the forefront of marketing cannabidiol (CBD) in the United Kingdom, particularly on social media.
CBD is a legalised chemical extracted from cannabis and is derived either from the hemp plant or created artificially in a laboratory. It’s commonly used medicinally, largely to treat minor pain or ease anxiety.
We’ve done some digging and found seven former British and Irish footballers who are fully-paid-up members of the CBD fan club.
Matt Le Tissier
Never shy of looking for (ahem) alternative solutions to life problems, Le Tissier is a brand ambassador for SupremeCBD and speaks effusively about its impact.
“I was sceptical at first, but I decided the give Supreme CBD a go. It has made a real difference to me.
“The muscle rub really helps with sports recovery. The gummies are great for sleep, as are the oils and they both help you to relax.”
John Aldridge
Lots of users can be evangelical about what they believe it has done for them.
Aldridge, the former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland striker, insisted to The Athletic he is sleeping better than ever since using CBD.
“A lot of people are cynical about it, possibly because of its connection with cannabis,” Aldridge said.
“It’s done me no harm whatsoever. I wake up in a much better mood. It agrees with me.”
But a significant amount of his social media timeline involves responses to accusations that he is only promoting the product due to alleged financial incentives coming his way.
Aldridge is another ambassador for Supreme CBD.
Dean Windass
Windass, the third of four Supreme CBD ambassadors on this list, heavily promotes the product on his social media feeds.
The former Hull City striker claims the products help with everything from his sleep to settling his anxiety.
Windass was probed in 2023 by the Advertising Standards Authority over their promotion of CBD products.
The CAP Code, which applies to influencer marketing, requires anyone promoting a brand on social media to label their posts as ads if they have received any incentive whatsoever.
A representative for Windass, who is listed on Supreme CBD’s website as an ambassador, features in billboard advertising for the brand and has tweeted more than 400 times about it, told City A.M. that he “does not receive financial rewards for his tweets”.
He continues to promote the brand, now using #ad, to this day.
John Hartson
“I first started using SupremeCBD two years ago after I heard great things about the company online,” Hartson said in 2023.
“At first, I was quite sceptical and didn’t think the products could be as good as everyone was claiming them to be, but it turned out I was wrong.”
Hartson, along with Le Tissier, was found to have broken UK advertising rules in 2024 after promoting a CBD product on Twitter without revealing he’d been paid for it.
Across two tweets, former Supreme CBD brand ambassador Hartson told his 400,000 followers that the product helped him “sleep so much better with less anxiety” and that it was “magic”.
The former Wales striker told the ASA that having been a personal user of Supreme CBD, he then entered into a verbal agreement with the brand whereby he would receive a “small amount of commission” from the use of his discount codes, as well as free products.
He has since amended the tweets and ended his relationship with Supreme CBD.
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Paul Merson
In March 2024, Merson shared a video of him speaking to Le Tissier about the benefits of CBD Gummies.
The former Arsenal star, who claims CBD has helped with his anxiety, said: “I’m very curious of putting stuff in me now and I don’t want to put stuff in me, then I start panicking even more.
‘For me it was getting that trust and then I talked to Tis [Le Tissier] who I’ve known since we were very very young.
“I talked to him and he reassured me in that way. He said ‘No it’ll be alright, I’m taking it’. I thought okay that will do me then.”
Merson was probed alongside Windass in 2023. His representative told City A.M.: “Paul was not paid for this on his socials.”
They did not clarify whether he had any other commercial relationship with Supreme CBD.
Emile Heskey
The newest member of the CBD fan club, Heskey told his followers on Twitter that he’s been using Supreme CBD products for a few months and extolled the positive impact they’ve had.
The former Liverpool and England striker now advertises for the company on his social media, including a personalised discount code.
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Chris Kirkland
In 2022, Kirkland said in an interview with The Times that he was over the worst of an addiction to painkillers that almost destroyed his life, leading to him contemplating suicide.
He explained to The Athletic that he is open to paid promotional work for CBD products, but only if they have affected him positively.
“I’d only ever recommend something that has improved the quality of my life,” the former goalkeeper said.
“I’ve recommended CBD to friends and family and they’ve had similar experiences to me. It’s something I know works.”
Kirkland said he can go weeks without using CBD but sometimes, he will take four to five gummies a day before applying oil to his tongue at night.
He has also suggested on social media that CBD has helped ease some of the back problems that led to his painkiller addiction.