England great Stuart Pearce in ‘great spirits’ after medical emergency on plane | OneFootball

Pearce recovering in hospital after falling ill when travelling on flight from Las Vegas to London last Sunday

Former England defender Stuart Pearce is in “great spirits” and recovering in hospital after suffering a medical emergency on board a flight from the United States.

The Sun reported Pearce fell ill when he was travelling on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Las Vegas to London last Sunday.

The plane was diverted to a hospital in St John's, Canada after the 62-year-old had received treatment on board from staff and medically-trained passengers.

Commentator Sam Matterface, who works alongside Pearce for talkSPORT, said on Saturday: “I spoke to him yesterday, he's in great spirits.

“He isn't 100 per cent, that is definitely the case, but he is in the right place, he is in the hospital. They are dealing with it.

“He is a little bit disappointed about not being here today, he was most frustrated about that. He actually said to me, 'I have got so much I had to cancel. Some great games and Mumford and Sons are playing on Wednesday night and I can't go now'.

“He wasn't happy about that. He is in good spirits.”

Pearce earned 78 caps for England and played in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, in which he missed a penalty in the shoot-out defeat to West Germany, and of Euro 96.

Pearce scored in the quarter-final shoot-out win over Spain and semi-final defeat to Germany at Euro 96, with his celebration of his successful spot-kick against the Spanish becoming one of the defining images of the tournament.

He spent six years as manager of England Under-21s and served as caretaker manager of the senior team for one game. He also coached the Great Britain men's team at the London 2012 Olympics.

Pearce's last job in football was as a part of David Moyes' coaching staff at West Ham, a role he left in 2022.

On the incident, a statement from Virgin read: “Due to an unwell customer onboard, the VS156 on 2 March flying from Las Vegas to London Heathrow diverted to St John's International Airport, Canada and was met by the medical services.”