Wayne Lineker was knocked out cold by a thug during a 4am brawl outside an Ibiza nightclub amid a row over a woman in her 20s, it has been revealed.
The Ocean Beach club owner, who is the younger brother of former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, was punched in the face by a yob outside the Eden Bar in Ibiza yesterday morning.
He was reportedly unconscious for six minutes with blood pouring from his mouth, according to witnesses. It has not been confirmed if anyone had been arrested over the incident.
The 62-year-old playboy broke his silence on the shocking video this morning, posting a photo of himself with a cut under his lip. He said: ‘I wanted to write this post to let everyone know that I’m doing ok… I have a few stitches and a swollen lip.
‘It could have been much worse so I count myself very fortunate I wasn’t standing 2 yards further back, as my head would have impacted the wall. Obviously the video is very disturbing to see especially for my family.
‘The papers were very accurate and it was a simple case of me just trying to protect a girl from being harassed. Thank you everyone for all your messages of concern the support has been really overwhelming.’
Wayne Lineker (pictured) posted this photo of himself with a cut under his lip after being punched in the face
Video footage shows the man hitting Wayne in the face and making contact with his chin
The club owner is knocked unconscious for around five minutes as one woman came to help
Video footage taken from the night shows Lineker raising his hand up in defence while the the man approaches him and makes contact with his chin.
Witnesses told The Sun the argument started after the thug and his friends were pestering Wayne’s female friend, who is believed to be in her 20s.
As Lineker tried to leave in a taxi, the man — alongside six friends — squared up to him before slamming the taxi door shut. A thug then smacked Wayne before they all ran off.
An 18-year-old Welsh student told the newspaper: ‘ It was horrible – he looked like he could have been dead at one point.’ She then stayed to help Lineker when he came back round.
One Tuesday, Lineker took to social media to post a picture of him clinking wine glasses with the female friend at the centre of the row.
He also shared a post wishing a Happy Birthday to his son Freddie.
The TV personality has been estranged from brother Gary, 63, since 2008, but insisted he felt no bitterness towards the Match of the Day host.
Wayne was asked about their relationship on the Mail’s comedy podcast Straight to the Comments!, which embraces the hilarity and uniqueness of the MailOnline comment section with the celebs in question.
The Ocean Beach club owner is the younger brother of former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker
The incident allegedly happened after the thug and his friends were pestering one of Lineker’s female friends
Lineker can be seen putting his arm out in defence before the thug knocks him unconscious
He told hosts Josh Pieters and Archie Manners: ‘It’s not so good to be honest, we don’t really speak very often. I’ll always be his number one fan.’
But Wayne said he still has a good relationship with his nephews, saying: ‘We’re so close. We’ve got a really strong relationship with George, Harry, Angus and Tobias.
‘They call me Space Wayne – we had a big night out and I ended up being carried out.’
Wayne Lineker’s team have been approached for comment.
