Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender and current Sky Sports pundit, was subjected to verbal abuse while walking in public, with footage of the confrontation subsequently shared on social media platform X.
The 51-year-old was accompanied by a woman when a man aggressively approached him on the street.
The incident was captured on camera by the abuser himself, who proceeded to hurl insults at the football pundit.
With the video rapidly circulating online, one user described the footage as "delightful" — a characterisation that prompted strong responses from those close to Neville and fellow figures in football.
In the footage, the man can be heard shouting "Is that Gary Neville? W***er" before launching into a tirade of abuse.
When Neville turned and asked "What?", the aggressor continued his verbal assault, repeatedly calling him a "fing w****r."
Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender and current Sky Sports pundit, was subjected to verbal abuse while walking in public, with footage of the confrontation subsequently shared on social media platform X
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The former England international appeared to note that he was being recorded during the exchange.
The abuser then accused the pundit of having no understanding of working class people, stating: "You've got f*** all to know about the working class man you have."
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He concluded his rant by claiming that even Neville's own supporters had abandoned him.
Tracey Neville, the 49-year-old former England netball international, responded directly to the social media post, writing: "Situations like these are truly scary and I can assure you they are not delightful."
She accompanied her message with crying and heartbroken emojis.
Former Arsenal and Celtic striker John Hartson, 51, also spoke out in support of Neville on social media.
Gary Neville featured 85 times for England during his playing days | PAThe Welshman criticised the abuser, posting: "What does this Moron think he is achieving.. Gary with one of his family and some t** is abusing him in public.. if you feel like you want to abuse people gone do it in front of your tv screen not in public.. Not very Clever!"
Neville, who was working at the Etihad on Sunday covering Manchester City's 2-1 win over Arsenal for Sky Sports, has not publicly addressed the incident.
Neville has become a prominent pundit ever since retiring from football in January 2011.
As a player he won eight Premier League titles with Manchester United, while he also made 85 appearances for England.