An emotional ex-soldier revealed how Ray Wilkins helped turn his life around when he was homeless.

Tributes have flooded in with many inside and outside of football recalling anecdotes of Wilkins and the highlights of their experiences with him.

But one of the most striking was delivered on the radio on Thursday when an anonymous ex-soldier explained how Wilkins' generosity helped turn around his fortunes at the time.

An ex-soldier recalled the time Chelsea legend Ray Wilkins helped him when he was homeless

The former Blues captain gave the anonymous soldier £20 for a hot meal and to get shelter

'He was a real man. I'm an ex-soldier and I had some time where I was homeless and I was outside of Brompton Station,' the caller told talkSPORT.

'And what happened was he (Wilkins) came over to me and I recognised him straight away and he just took some time to sit and chat, and we were both sat on my bit of cardboard together and we were chatting about the army.

'I was a gambler at the time, I'm still a gambler, I'm recovering but he took the time and he even took a phone call during that and said "Look I'll call you back, I'm busy at the moment".

'We were sat chatting and he gave me £20 and told me to get myself a hot meal and then took me across the road to buy me a coffee, and as the bill came, I asked him "Can I buy this? I want to feel like a man" and he said he totally understood all of that.

Wilkins devoted time to the man and the emotional caller admitted he never got to thank him

'That night I took that £20 and I got some shelter and I had a hot meal. During that time, when I was in the shelter, I met a guy who was helping ex-soldiers and put me in touch with decent people who would help me.

'I am now fully recovered and not gambling, I have my own place, a beautiful girlfriend I am about to marry, and I put it down to the time Ray took to give a man that was nothing to him, a stranger and I'm sorry if I'm getting emotional but he was a real, real hero, to me and millions of others.

'I never got to say thank you to, not really, anyone who phones in with a memory and saying thank you for giving us Ray Wilkins.'