England football icon ‘stopped plane from taking off’ as he ‘thought he was going to die’

Gary Neville is a legend for Manchester United and England (Picture: Getty)

Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville has revealed he once ‘stopped a plane from taking off’ as he thought he was ‘going to die’.

Neville enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in football history at Premier League giants United, lifting eight league titles, six domestic cups and two Champions Leagues across his 19-year spell at Old Trafford.

The former right-back was also a mainstay in the England team for over a decade, earning 85 caps for the Three Lions and featuring at several major tournaments.

Neville has kept incredibly busy since hanging up his boots in 2011, working as a pundit for Sky Sports, taking over EFL club Salford City and running a football-themed hotel in Manchester with some former United team-mates.

The 49-year-old is known for his impressive work ethic, often posting pictures from the gym in the early hours and regularly telling his social media followers to ‘attack the day’.

But Neville says he realised he needed to ‘calm down a little bit’ when he had to ask to get off a plane as he feared he was having a heart attack.

Neville ‘literally thought I was dying’ and stopped the plane from taking off due to a severe bout of anxiety.

Neville still lives a busy life (Picture: Getty)

Speaking on the Happy Place podcast,’ Neville reflected: ‘I knew there was something wrong.

‘I’ve never experienced anxiety in my life. I didn’t even know what it was. But I actually stopped a plane coming back from America.

‘I was flying back from Miami and I was sat on the front of this plane and I knew that I’d obviously pushed myself over the previous couple of months.

‘And I was literally thinking, “I’m going to have a heart attack”. I felt like I was literally going to die.

‘I said to the steward, “I’m going to have to get off”. I stopped the plane, my bags got taken off and I stayed in America for an extra time.

‘I thought, this is not right, you need to calm down a little bit and I think I have done since.’

Gary Neville’s younger brother Phil also played for Manchester United and England, while his sister Tracey represented her country in netball.

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