Alan Hansen: Match of the Day pundit retires after 22 years

Alan Hansen has retired as a Match of the Day pundit after 22 years on Britain's most-watched football show.

The 58-year-old former Scotland and Liverpool defender retired from the game in 1991, becoming a BBC pundit one year later.

"Very sad," said Hansen on his final show. "I've had a great 22 years and the Premier League has gone from strength to strength."

Hansen's contract with the BBC will end after the summer's World Cup.

He will join the likes of Thierry Henry, Rio Ferdinand, Alan Shearer, Chris Waddle, Martin Keown, Mark Lawrenson and Robbie Savage in offering expertise for BBC Sport during the tournament in Brazil.

Hansen, who started his career at Partick Thistle, said leaving his role after the summer was "a good way to go out" and that he could not be convinced to continue, having initially planned to retire at 55.

During his time as a pundit, Hansen has been widely recognised as a voice of authority - casting opinion on the controversial moments at the heart of the game.

"When me and Des Lynam sat down initially to do Match of the Day, we decided we wouldn't say the obvious," said Hansen, who narrated the closing sequence of Match of the Day for the 2013-14 season.

As a player, Hansen won eight First Division titles with Liverpool

The cultured centre-back won eight First Division titles, two FA Cups, four consecutive League Cups and three European Cups in a 14-year spell at Anfield, playing 26 times for his country in the process.

He turned down managerial roles - including Manchester City in 1995 - to prosper as a pundit, working alongside presenters Lynam and Gary Lineker.

One of his most memorable moments on the Saturday night highlights show came at the start of the 1995-96 season when, following Manchester United's opening-day defeat at Aston Villa, he insisted: "You can't win anything with kids."

United, with a team full of youth products like Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and David Beckham, went on to claim the FA Cup and Premier League double that season.