Gary Lineker says Alan Hansen quit Match of the Day because of crippling nerves

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Gary Lineker has revealed Alan Hansen quit as a Match Of The Day pundit because of crippling nerves.

The former Liverpool defender, 67, was a regular on the BBC football highlights show from 1992 until 2014 before packing it in.

Lineker, 62, said: “He was incredibly nervous, which is why he quit.

READ MORE: Gary Lineker will miss Match of the Day again just weeks after BBC forced him off air

"He got so nervous. He used to shuffle his feet on the floor." Lineker was debating the Top 10 best football pundits on the Match Of The Day podcast with co-stars Alan Shearer, 52, and Micah Richards, 34.

Gary added: "He was probably the first person that went down the more analytic route, a path now followed by so many. He was a brilliant pundit."

Are you shocked former hardman Hansen was crippled by nerves? Let us know in the comments section below

The BBC host and Leicester City fan was surrounded by controversy last month when a tweet taking aim at the Conservative's refugee policies saw him step back from his beloved role of hosting the Saturday edition of the show.

The knock-on effect then saw a mass protest across the BBC as they were forced to put on a limited show and pull Football Focus from the TV. Lineker even admitted to crying when he found out pals Alan Shearer and Ian Wright has stood with the host.

Speaking on the Rest is Politics podcast, via The Times, he said: "It was funny.

"I was in a restaurant, and then in the back of the car, and firstly when Ian Wright pulled out of the show, and then when Alan did as well, Alan Shearer, and I must admit I had a tear in my eye.

"It was like ‘my goodness, I think they’re doing it more for the cause’, but to get that kind of team spirit, that kind of camaraderie and togetherness, I mean, it just moved me. It was beautiful."

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