Video

Inside Matters: Hoddle - Fighting spirit saw me through

6 May 2020

Former Chelsea and Spurs manager opens up on how he battled for his health after a heart attack

Related Articles
Inside Matters: Shearer on dealing with recovery
#StayWell hub offers fans help for mental wellbeing
Townsend: Speaking up really helped me

For Glenn Hoddle the biggest challenge in his life happened away from the football pitch.

In October 2018, the former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and England manager collapsed after a heart attack in a TV studio.

Speaking in the second part of "Inside Matters", a series of exclusive interviews with football stars about the mental challenges they have faced, Hoddle reveals how he handled his near-death experience, which he calls his biggest challenge.

'Out of the blue'

"It was a shock and that took a lot of getting over, I must admit," he says. "When it's your health, that's the most important thing in life, really."

"[There was] a lot of support from everyone from around me, from the medical side of St Bart's Hospital.

"But in the end, there's moments when you have to drag yourself out - the walks I had to do to get some fitness and to get the confidence back, it was a massive challenge, it really was."

Disciplined approach

Hoddle found that his competitive spirit from being a player and manager helped to aid his recovery.

"It came from within, the emotions, the strength I brought from within myself to say I was determined, that I was going to do what I had to do, to do what the medical side were telling me.

"I had this determination that if I had to walk, I had to walk and, my word, I’ve never known tiredness like it, just doing my walks every day.

"Even if it was 500 yards to begin with, eventually I got up to four miles, and it just shows you with the determination, and a little bit of time and healing, that you can overcome these things."

Hoddle also reveals how he saw out a difficult start as manager at Chelsea and how he recovered from the anguish at England's exit from the 1998 FIFA World Cup. 

Also in this series

See: Inside Matters: Stars discuss mental health challenges

Latest Videos

More Videos

Video is currently not available.

24 Dec 2024

Goals galore: Relive last season's EPIC Boxing Day

A Chris Wood hat-trick, two five-goal thrillers and 19 goals across five games. Boxing Day 2023 was an all-time classic

Your details have been submitted successfully.

You have already entered this competition. Please check your email for further information.

Your details have been submitted successfully.

Create a Premier League account

Continue

You are logged in as

Enter your details