The former Southampton and England footballer Matt Le Tissier has announced he will compete in the TV quiz show Countdown after passing his contestant audition. The 46-year-old will become the fourth professional footballer to appear on the Channel 4 show.

Matt Le TissierMatt Le Tissier will appear on Countdown later this year

Le Tissier, who now works as a TV pundit for Sky Sports, tweeted: "Passed my contestant audition for @C4Countdown. Be filming in autumn. Hope you've brushed up on the numbers @RachelRileyRR."

He had previously appeared in 'Dictionary Corner', famously solving a numbers puzzle that out-foxed both contestants and the maths expert Rachel Riley. 

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Previously, the former Notts County midfielder Neil MacKenzie won five successive games to reach the quarter finals of Countdown in 2008. The ex-Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle - who tried to take his own life before Christmas - won three successive games in 2010. Norwich City's Adrian Coote failed in his one and only attempt on the show in 2009.

Dubbed 'Le God' by Southampton fans, Matt Le Tissier remains one of the most natural gifted English footballers in history and scored 209 goals in 540 appearances for his club between 1985 and 2002.

Countdown, which is now filmed in MediaCity in Salford, was presented by Richard Whiteley for over 20 years until his death in 2005. Des Lynam took over for one year before Des O'Connor presented until 2008. After that, the Gillette Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling took over (and oversaw Le Tissier's last appearance on the show) before being replaced by the show's current incumbent, Nick Hewer. 

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