Alan Hansen: Former Liverpool captain seriously ill in hospital
Alan Hansen, the former Liverpool captain and football television pundit, is seriously ill in hospital.
Liverpool confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Hansen, 68, was unwell and that the club was offering support to his family.
Hansen, who won eight English league titles and three European Cups in an illustrious playing career at Anfield, was one of the most gifted players of his generation.
He played 620 games for Liverpool over 14 years, having joined from Scottish club Partick Thistle in 1977. He also won two FA Cups and three League Cups, as well as making 26 appearances for Scotland.
After quitting as a player in 1991, Hansen became a television pundit with the BBC, working on the broadcaster’s flagship football highlights programme Match of the Day for 22 years before retiring in 2014.
His caustic commentary — particularly on the quality of teams’ defending — earned him legions of admirers, while his comment that “you can’t anything with kids” after a youthful Manchester United side were beaten at Aston Villa in 1995 became one of the most famous lines in English football punditry. United ended that season by winning the double.
Hansen retreated from public life after leaving the BBC, regularly turning down interview requests, although he did play in occasional pro-am golf tournaments. One of his last significant appearances was at the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, when he presented his former teammate and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish with a lifetime achievement award.
News of Hansen’s illness prompted messages of support from throughout football. Gary Lineker, the former England striker who worked with Hansen on Match of the Day, tweeted: “Horrendous news. Thoughts are with Alan, Janet, and all the family.”
Former Liverpool forward John Aldridge, a teammate of Hansen at Anfield, added: “All our thoughts as ex-LFC players are with Alan (Jocky) Hansen and his family. Let’s hope he can pull through his illness. YNWA.”
Liverpool’s statement in full:
The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital.
A defender of the utmost elegance, Hansen’s outstanding raft of honours across a 14-year spell with the Reds – he joined from Partick Thistle in 1977 – included eight league titles, three European Cups, two FA Cups and three League Cups.
‘Jocky’, as he was known by teammates, is in the top 10 for all-time appearances for the club having played 620 matches, and the Scottish centre-back also served as Liverpool skipper for four seasons.
The club is currently in contact with Alan’s family to provide our support at this difficult time, and our thoughts, wishes and hopes are with Alan and all of the Hansen family.
We will provide any further updates as we receive them in due course, and we request that the Hansen family’s privacy is respected at this time.
The 68-year-old, who won eight English league titles and three European Cups in an illustrious playing career at Anfield, was one of of the most gifted players of his generation.
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Nnamdi Onyeagwara joined us in November 2022, initially helping us cover the World Cup before becoming a Junior News Editor in January 2023. Born in North London, Nnamdi attended Nottingham Trent University and previously worked at The Voice and the Barnet Post. Follow Nnamdi on Twitter @nnamdionye
