Alan Hansen’s life after Liverpool as Match of the Day legend battles serious illness

While being a football legend doesn’t guarantee success as a pundit, Alan Hansen is one who made the transition smoothly.

Hansen, 68, is battling a serious illness in hospital, prompting an outpouring of support from Liverpool and Gary Lineker. “The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital,” read a heartfelt statement from his old club.

During his illustrious career at Anfield, the Scottish defender won eight league titles and lifted the European Cup three times. His tenure at Liverpool saw him don the red shirt 620 times, including four years wearing the captain’s armband.

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Hansen’s association with Liverpool spanned 14 years, but his influence on the game extended beyond that through his 22-year spell as lead Match of the Day pundit. He retired from the limelight after the 2014 World Cup, drawing the curtain on a distinguished broadcasting career.

His journey into expertise began shortly after he hung up his boots in the early 90s. One of his most memorable moments came at the dawn of the 1995-96 season when he underestimated Alex Ferguson’s famous youth team, Manchester United.

“I think they’re in trouble,” Hansen remarked after United’s season-opening defeat by Aston Villa. “I wouldn’t say they have major problems.”

“Obviously three players (Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes) have gone and the trick is to buy when you’re strong. So he (Ferguson) has to buy players. You can’t win anything with kids.”

Of course, United quickly showed that they can really win with the kids. Academy graduates David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt each made 30 or more appearances as United won the league, with all four playing their part three seasons later in the treble.

Hansen, for his part, agreed with the misjudgment. “It was the line that made me,” he would later say. “I’d be in Euston station or Heathrow airport and they’d shout that out to me.

“To this day, I stand by that line,” he added. “How many times have you seen a manager choose experience over youth, it happens all the time.”

Almost 20 years later, Hansen was leaning towards the top. He remained a large part of the BBC’s football coverage, for domestic football and international tournaments, that journey ending in 2014.

“Match of the Day is such an important show and you always felt that what Alan Hansen said was the final word, that was the authority,” Gary Neville said when Hansen quit. “You almost forget he was a player with how important he was to television.”

Jamie Redknapp, following in Gary Neville’s footsteps in punditry, held Alan Hansen’s opinions in high regard. “If Alan said after a game, ‘Jamie Redknapp played well’, I was so happy,” he said.

“That made me feel like a million bucks. It was recognition that you did well, it would mean so much.”

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Mirror by clicking here.