Ex-England Defender Stuart Pearce in High Spirits After Medical Emergency

Former England and Nottingham Forest player Stuart Pearce is currently recuperating in a hospital in Canada following a health scare that occurred while he was on a flight returning from the United States.

Pearce had travelled to the US to witness last Saturday’s Super League clash between Wigan and Warrington.

During his Virgin Atlantic flight back, the 62-year-old began to feel unwell. After receiving initial treatment, the decision was made to conduct an emergency landing, diverting the flight from Las Vegas to Heathrow to St John’s in Canada.

Football commentator Sam Matterface, who collaborates with Pearce at talkSPORT, reported that the Forest icon is in good spirits.

“I had a chat with him yesterday, and he’s looking quite cheerful,” Matterface said from the City Ground as preparations were made for Saturday’s match between Forest and Manchester City, another club dear to Pearce.

“He isn’t quite back to full health, which is certainly true, but he is where he needs to be – in the hospital receiving care.”

“He mentioned, ‘I’ve had to cancel so much. There are some great matches coming up, and Mumford and Sons have a concert on Wednesday, which I can’t attend now.’

“He was disappointed about that. However, he remains in good spirits.”

During Forest’s Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Saturday, a message flashed on the big screen at the City Ground, reading ‘Get Well Soon Stuart’ in the third minute, a nod to Pearce’s iconic shirt number three.

Pearce made an impressive 401 appearances for Forest over a 12-year period and also played for clubs such as Coventry, Newcastle, West Ham, and Manchester City, where he later took on a managerial role.

He earned 78 caps for England, participating in the semi-finals of Euro 96 and the 1990 World Cup, where he infamously missed a penalty in the shoot-out loss to West Germany.

Pearce also scored in the Euro 96 quarter-final shoot-out victory over Spain, with his celebration after scoring that penalty becoming one of the iconic moments of the tournament.

He managed the England Under-21s for six years and briefly served as caretaker manager of the senior national team for one match.

Additionally, he coached the Great Britain men’s football team during the London 2012 Olympics.

Pearce’s most recent role in football was as part of David Moyes’ coaching staff at West Ham, a position he vacated in 2022.

Regarding the incident, a statement from Virgin Atlantic read: “Due to a passenger falling ill on board, flight VS156 on 2 March originating from Las Vegas to London Heathrow made an emergency diversion to St John’s International Airport, Canada, where medical services were awaiting.”