Manchester United legend Gary Neville has admitted he once stopped a plane from taking off as he thought he was “going to die”.
The 49-year-old enjoyed a stellar career at Old Trafford, having made over 600 appearances for his boyhood club and winning a number of major trophies. Neville lifted eight Premier League titles, six domestic cups and two Champions Leagues across his 19-year spell at United. Alongside this, he was also a mainstay in the England team for over a decade, amassing 85 caps for the Three Lions.
Since retiring from professional football in 2011, Neville has kept himself busy, working as a pundit for Sky Sports, taking over at Salford City and running a football-themed hotel in Manchester with some former United team-mates. Within the last couple of years, Neville has also started The Overlap YouTube channel, which has gained success for its Stick to Football podcast and fan engagement.
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Neville is also known for his excellent work ethic and eagerness to make the most of every minute. But the Bury-born former right-back has revealed how he once had to “calm down a little bit” and asked to get off a plane as he thought he was going to have a “heart attack”.
Speaking on the Happy Place podcast, Neville bravely opened up on dealing with anxiety. He said: “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.”
