Glenn Hoddle has admitted that he found it extremely difficult to return to the BT Sport TV studio where he suffered his near-fatal cardiac arrest.
Hoddle, who is not only one of Tottenham’s greatest ever players but is also thought of as one of the most talented footballers England has ever produced, has become a household name in football punditry over the last two decades.
The 63-year-old endured a harrowing experience on his 61st birthday, October 27, 2018, when his heart stopped for at least 60 seconds after he collapsed during a live BT Sport broadcast.
After being administered CPR by sound supervisor Simon Daniels, Hoddle was rushed to hospital where he underwent a quadruple heart bypass.
Three years on from the incident, the pundit’s return to the studio is captured in a new BT Sport documentary on his life, ‘Glenn Hoddle: Extra Time‘, due to be screened next week.
The programme, which airs next Tuesday on BT Sport 3 at 10.30 pm, looks at the legendry midfielder’s life and his career.
When asked if it was difficult for him to return to the studio after the incident, Hoddle told The Sun: “I knew it was going to be hard but it was probably harder than what we see in the documentary.
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“Did I think about not doing it? Good question. It was tough coming back here. To come back to this point wasn’t easy. A lot of people speak about where we were born.
“You say the place and whether it was at home or in a hospital, whatever. But you very rarely get to talk about, or see again, the place you might have died.
“And there is a spot a few yards over there and that is nearly where I went. If it wasn’t for Simon who saved my life, I would have died that day.
“So it was tough to come back here. Am I pleased I did it? Now I am. But I was only pleased after I had done it.”
Hoddle admitted that the scary incident three years ago has given him a newfound appreciation for his life.
He added: “There was a time before when I was asking myself why I was putting myself through this.
“Growing up as a young footballer and then as a professional, there are many adversities you have to overcome.
“You have to be strong-minded and go into that mode. That was never really me as a person but I knew I had to do that to make it in football.
“So I became an actor, in many ways. And I possibly had to do the same to get back into the BT Sport studio. I wasn’t looking forward to doing it.
“I can’t say I enjoyed it but I was happy I did it. In some ways, it has helped me.
“Incidents like this do change your life. My outlook on life was always a bit different . . . well not different, it was just what it was.
“I don’t believe we are here and that’s it. I do believe that we go on anyway. But when you’re that close to it, you realise there are so many facets to it that were fate or luck or good fortune, however you want to put it.
“I was very lucky to be here in this studio, so it makes you look at your life completely differently.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The Hoddle incident, just like the Eriksen and Muamba ones, shows just how precarious life is and how quickly things can change, which is a valuable lesson for everyone.
Given all of Hoddle’s on-field and off-field heroics, there is hardly anyone who would be a more interesting subject for a documentary. I will certainly be watching it with interest.
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