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Glenn Hoddle reveals sound engineer had to break seven of his ribs during CPR to bring him back to life after cardiac arrest at BT Sport studio

Football legend Glenn Hoddle has told how a sound engineer had to break seven of his ribs during CPR to bring him back to life after he had a cardiac arrest in the BT Sport studio.

Speaking about his cardiac arrest for the first time, he admitted “I was gone” and said his heart stopped for at least 60 seconds.

He told the Sun that he would not be here if it were not for sound engineer Simon Daniels who had to break seven of his ribs as he desperately pounded his chest to bring him back to life.

The former England manager, who was celebrating his 61st birthday on the day he fell ill, said: "My heart stopped for at least 60 seconds. I was gone.

"The engineer ran to me and brought me back to life. I wouldn't be here if not for him. It just wasn't my time to go."

Recovery: Glenn Hoddle suffered a cardiac arrest back in October (Getty Images)
Recovery: Glenn Hoddle suffered a cardiac arrest back in October (Getty Images)

Hoddle said that he had been playing a game of keepy-uppy with Robbie Savage at the end of the Live Saturday Morning Savage show when he went into cardiac arrest.

As the credits rolled, he said he fell back and smashed his head on the floor just at the moment he had gone to volley the ball back to Savage.

"It's ironic that if I had died, the last thing I would have done on this earth was kick a ball. What a way to go!

"It could have happened on live TV.”

Hoddle, who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur and also played for Chelsea and Monaco, said that “mild-mannered” sound engineer Mr Daniels was apologetic after the emergency because he was “embarrassed” that he had begun ordering everybody about.

Glenn Hoddle of Tottenham Hotspur runs with the ball during the League Division One match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United held on November 21, 1981 at White Hart Lane (Getty Images)
Glenn Hoddle of Tottenham Hotspur runs with the ball during the League Division One match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United held on November 21, 1981 at White Hart Lane (Getty Images)

He performed compressions and fitted a defibrillator to Hoddle’s chest before he was taken to hospital. Hoddle said doctors were concerned he had suffered brain damage as he had bumped his head badly.

The father-of-three said his head was so black it looked like it had been burned and that doctors were worried about his brain. Only after that did they take care of his heart, he said.

Hoddle, who was in a critical condition, was treated at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in central London.

Hoddle received an outpouring of support from well-wishers after suffering the cardiac arrest in late October last year.

He told the Sun he was “astonished” by the public response to his ordeal.

Hoddle plans to return to work and has also teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to help raise funds to buy defibrillators for grass-roots football clubs across the UK.

He won 53 caps for his country before managing the team from 1996-1999. Hoddle went on to manage Southampton, Tottenham and Wolverhampton before becoming a TV pundit.