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 seamlessly.

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 clinched 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 stint as a leading pundit on Match of the Day. He stepped back from the limelight following the 2014 World Cup, drawing the curtain on a distinguished broadcasting career.

His journey into punditry kicked off shortly after hanging up his boots in the early '90s. One of the most memorable moments came at the dawn of the 1995-96 season when he famously underestimated Alex Ferguson's young Manchester United team.

"I think they've got problems," Hansen remarked following United's defeat to Aston Villa in the season opener. "I wouldn't say they have got major problems."

"Obviously three players [Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes] have departed and the trick is buy when you are strong. So he [Ferguson] needs to buy players. You can't win anything with kids."

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

Hansen, for his part, owned the misjudgement. "It was the line that made me," he would later say. "I'd be at Euston station or Heathrow airport and they'd be shouting it at me.

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

Nearly 20 years later, Hansen was bowing out at the top. He had remained a big part of the BBC's football coverage, for domestic football and at international tournaments, with 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 called it quits. "You almost forget he was a player with how important he has been to television."

Jamie Redknapp, following in the footsteps of Gary Neville into punditry, held Alan Hansen's opinions in high regard. "If Alan were to say after a game 'Jamie Redknapp played well' I was so happy," he shared.

"That made me feel a million dollars. It was an acknowledgement that you had done 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.