10 June 2024 , 11:01
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Match of the Day has been on our TV screens for 60 years now, with several football players turned pundits stepping up and fronting the BBC staple since 1964.
But where are the famous faces from the nineties who used to analyse the beautiful game week in, week out?
While you'll probably think of Gary Lineker, Mark Chapman and Alan Shearer as the faces of the programme nowadays, older generations may remember the fond faces of Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson and Des Lynam presenting through the 90s.
But what did those hosts get up to after parting ways with the BBC show? And where are they now? Here, Mirror Football takes you on a trip down memory lane.
Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen was a staple of Match of the DayRegarded as one of the greatest Scottish footballers of all time, former Liverpool captain Alan Hansen made his MOTD debut as an analyst back in 1992 - spending 22 years with the BBC staple before announcing that he would be retiring from punditry after the 2014 World Cup. He has lived a largely quiet life since.
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However, Liverpool announced on Sunday that the footballing legend is currently 'seriously ill' in hospital. Taking to Twitter/X, the club wrote: "The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital."
Des Lynam
Des Lynam also hosted the Premier League highlights show (ITV)Radio and TV presenter Des Lynam fronted Match of the Day for 11 years between 1988 and 1999 after kicking off his career with Sportswide in 1977. He would jump ship to ITV in 1999 to present live coverage, before retiring from football presenting after Euro 2004.
Last year it was announced that Lynam had become a 'real-life Dr Doolittle' as he turned his focus from presenting to authoring animal-themed books, including parts one and two of Now Who's Talking? Speaking about the transition last year, Lynam said: "It never occurred to me about writing about animals. I was looking out of the window one day.
"The two magpies who usually stood together were at opposite ends of the garden. I wondered if they’d had a row. Obviously, we don’t know how they communicate, so I made it up from there. I made them speak English obviously, and created some dialogue, that was the first one and it grew from there, doing other animals. I thought it was quite funny and hoped somebody else would."
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson left the BBC in 2022 (PA)Mark Lawrenson enjoyed three decades with the BBC in his time as a pundit, presenting MOTD between 1997–2018 before continuing with Football Focus and retiring at the end of 2021/22. However, the former footballer claimed that he was dropped by the BBC for being '65 and a white male'.
Speaking to The Times in 2022, Lawrenson said: "The Beeb are probably the worst at giving you bad news. It was just, ‘We are going on the road next season with Focus. We don't think it is really something for you.’ I haven’t watched the programme since to see if they have gone on the road."
He added: "I just wish they had said to me at the start of my contract last year, 'You've had a great run, thanks very much and you are not working next season.'"
Lawrenson still remains unimpressed by the BBC two years on from his departure, claiming earlier this year that the organisation is currently 'top of the woke league'.
Bob Wilson
Jimmy Hill and Bob Wilson on Match of the Day (BBC)Former Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson first appeared on Match of the Day as a presenter in 1976, taking the helm alongside the already well-established Jimmy Hill. He would remain with the show until 1994, before moving over to ITV to present the Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup.
He would go on to set up The Willow Foundation in memory of his daughter Anna, who died at 31 through malignant schwannoma - and was appointed an OBE for his charity work in 2007.
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Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill was one of the most recognisable faces of MOTD (BBC)A quality player for Brentford and Fulham in his day, as well as a long-serving tactician for Coventry City, Jimmy Hill would trade the dressing rooms for the studios in 1973 - teaming up with Match of the Day for 15 years as a presenter making 600 appearances. He would return to the show as an analyst in 1994 for three years.
He would move on from the BBC to Sky Sports in 1999. Hill was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008, before passing away at the age of 87 in 2015. A statue of Hill currently stands outside Coventry's Ricoh Arena in tribute to his six-year managerial career.
Ray Stubbs
Ray Stubbs was a stand-in presenter on MOTD (BBC SPORT)Ray Stubbs kicked off his broadcasting career with BBC Manchester in the late '80s, primarily covering snooker and darts, but he would get his first real breakthroughs with Grandstand, Sportsnight and as a stand-in presenter for Match of the Day. Stubbs would occasionally appear on the BBC show between 1993 and 2009 as relief, before exiting the BBC.
Stubbs then made the move to ESPN, later working with BT Sport and talkSPORT. He most recently presented the World Seniors Championship of snooker in May.
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