Former England player Stuart Pearce gets tribute from Nottingham Forest after reportedly falling ill

NOTTINGHAM, England — Ex-England defender Stuart Pearce was sent well-wishes by former club Nottingham Forest during its Premier League match on Saturday after reportedly falling ill last weekend.

The 62-year-old Pearce suffered a medical emergency on board a flight to London from the United States, reported Britain’s Press Association. After he received treatment, a decision was made to make an emergency landing in Canada where Pearce is recovering in the hospital, PA reported.

Pearce calls matches for British radio station talkSPORT alongside commentator Sam Matterface, who was at the City Ground for the match between Forest and Manchester City — two of Pearce’s old clubs.

“I spoke to him yesterday, he’s in great spirits,” Matterface said of Pearce ahead of the game. “He isn’t 100%, that is definitely the case, but he is in the right place, he is in the hospital. They are dealing with it.”

A message reading “Get Well Soon Stuart” was displayed on the big screen at the City Ground after three minutes of the Forest-City game. Pearce, a left back, used to wear No. 3 on his jersey.

“He is a little bit disappointed about not being here today, he was most frustrated about that,” Matterface said. “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 made 401 appearances for Forest during a 12-year stint and also played for Coventry, Newcastle, West Ham and Man City, where he was later the manager.

He played 78 times for England, including in the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup when he had a penalty saved in a shootout defeat to West Germany.