Liverpool and Match of the Day legend Alan Hansen is seriously ill in hospital.
The Scot, 68, played for the Reds between 1977 and 1991, making 620 appearances for the club after joining from Partick Thistle. He retired in March 1991 and moved into broadcasting.
Having turned down the offer from management, Hansen worked for the likes of Sky and BBC Radio 5 Live before moving to Match of the Day and working as its chief pundit for 22 years before his departure in 2014.
Liverpool took to their social media channels to announce the news on Sunday afternoon and sent their best wishes to the former defender and his family.
They also confirmed that they are in direct contact with the Hansen family and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Liverpool and Match of the Day legend Alan Hansen, 68, seriously ill in hospital
Hansen, 68, played 620 games for Liverpool between 1977 and 1991 and worked as a pundit after retiring from football, before leaving Match of the Day in 2014.
Liverpool provided an update on Hansen’s (right) condition via social media on Sunday.
“The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital,” the club posted on its official website.
‘A defender of the utmost elegance, Hansen’s outstanding string of honors throughout his 14 years with the Reds (he arrived from Partick Thistle in 1977) included eight league titles, three European Cups, two FA Cups and three League Cups.
‘”Jockey”, as he was known to his team-mates, is in the top 10 all-time appearances for the club, having played 620 games, and the Scottish centre-back also captained Liverpool for four seasons.
“The club is currently in contact with Alan’s family to offer our support at this difficult time, and our thoughts, wishes and hopes are with Alan and the entire Hansen family.
“We will provide further updates as we receive them in due course, and ask that the Hansen family’s privacy be respected at this time.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Scottish defenders of all time, Hansen began his career in his homeland before moving to Liverpool at the age of 21, costing the Reds £100,000.
At Partick Thistle, he played alongside his brother, John, and played 21 times in the 1975-76 season when his team won the Scottish First Division title.
He joined Liverpool a year later, earning the nickname ‘Jockey’ when he moved to Anfield.
The defender retired from the game in 1991 and is among Liverpool’s top 10 players.
The Reds asked for privacy for Hansen, who was captain for four seasons, in their statement
Hansen was in and out of the Liverpool team in his debut season, missing out on selection for the 1978 League Cup final, although he played in the 1978 European Cup final at Wembley.
He then secured his starting status, playing in defense as the Reds won the league title and dominated English club football under Bob Paisley.
Liverpool continued to collect trophies with Hansen in the team, winning the treble in the 1983-84 season under Joe Fagan, who was succeeded by Kenny Dalglish after a brief spell in charge.
Dalglish, who was first appointed player-manager, appointed Hansen captain and Liverpool won the league and FA Cup in his first season as captain.
He was awarded a testimonial match at Anfield in 1988 and continued to collect trophies in the years that followed despite the defender struggling with knee problems.
When he was 33, he started the match against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in 1989 in the disaster that claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans, and regularly campaigned for what many have perceived as justice for the event, which he described as “the darkest period of my life.
He is considered one of the best defenders in Liverpool history due to his leadership and success with the Reds.
He became a very popular pundit on Match of the Day after his retirement from the game.
Following his retirement, he became a pundit and became one of the most popular broadcasters in the country, most notably for his work on Match of the Day.
He also became a newspaper columnist and coined the phrase “you can’t win anything with children” after evaluating Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa in 1995.
His last stint at the BBC was during the 2014 World Cup, and his contract expired after the tournament.
He then moved away from broadcasting, having covered 16 FA Cup finals, six World Cups, five European Championships and one Olympics during his time at the BBC.
