The former defender made his senior debut for the London side in 1985 when he was just 19 years old and he admitted he “lost respect” for fellow players when he saw them boozing and gambling to excess.

Martin – who left the club in 1986 before returning in 1993 for an 11-year stint – told FourFourTwo magazine: “My dad sat me down before I went to London and told me in no uncertain terms not to waste the opportunity.

“The message was to steer clear of alcohol and gambling. I found it easy to avoid both.

“Dad must have had a crystal ball because his words were perfect for where I was going. I’d gone to the club to give my absolute best, and when I saw people drinking excessively, I lost some respect for them.

“I was very much in the minority at Arsenal. One young player was losing big money in a card pool; when I questioned him he said, ‘It’s money well spent’ because he was getting in with the seniors. I lost a lot of respect for him.

“That’s judgemental of me, but I didn’t like that mindset.”

Martin recalled urging then-manager George Graham to “change the culture” at the club.

He said: “I later sat down with George Graham – I was only young but I told him that he needed to change the culture.

“It’s funny looking back on it now. I was this young pro of 19, getting annoyed with Charlie Nicholas for changing into his leather trousers on the bus home, while all of us had to make a detour into the West End so we could drop him off at a nightclub. Are you taking the p***?

“I was a teenager – I should have been wondering where I could get a pair of leather trousers from and if I could get into the club. But I had these principals.”

Martin’s teammate, Tony Adams, later told him he wished he had taken a similar stance.

Martin said: “Tony Adams later said he admired me and how I stood up to the culture at the club and that he wished they’d all had the same principles as mine.

“Looking back, maybe I got too emotional about it, but that was just me. It all came from my dad.”