GUDNI Bergsson has revealed how Terry Venables and Miss World played a part in launching his career in England.

The legendary Wanderers' captain, who retires at the end of this season, made his name with Spurs after Venables signed him from Valur in Iceland.

But the White Hart Lane boss might never have seen him play but for a chance meeting at the Miss World Contest of 1988.

"A friend of mine in Iceland was in London as the agent of Miss Iceland," Bergsson explains. "He met the agent of Miss Ireland, who turned out to be a friend of Terry's.

"He told him he thought I would be useful for Spurs. That's how Terry got to know about me and the next thing he was inviting me over for a trial."

Bergsson duly impressed and made his Spurs debut on Boxing Day that same year in a scoreless draw with Luton. Fourteen years on he has made a video of his life story, reflecting on his childhood in Iceland, his formative years with the Reykjavik club Valur, a record-breaking international career and his eight seasons as a Wanderer, during which time he has become one of the most distinguished captains in the club's history and one of its most respected defenders.

'Gudni Boltonsson - The Life of a True Bolton Great' has been produced by Touchline TV in conjunction with Bolton Wanderers to mark the Icelander's contribution to football and to the town.

The video features rare footage of Bergsson's Valur days, including an amazing goal showing fantastic ball control skills, clips of his successes with Spurs, where he spent five seasons and played more than 80 league games, and details the highs and lows of his Wanderers' career while his love affair with Bolton blossomed.

"This is the town where we've lived the past seven years and really enjoyed our time," he explains. "This is my home town in England, no doubt about that."

Yet he might never have come to Wanderers' attention had Crystal Palace not offered him a trial in 1995 after he had spent two years back in Iceland, recovering from a back injury and combining a second stint with Valur with studies for his law degree.

The Palace switch never came off but he was seen by Ian and Neil Rioch, the brothers of the then Bolton boss Bruce, playing for Palace Reserves and within a matter of weeks was making his Wanderers' debut as substitute for Scott Green in the Coca Cola Cup Final against Liverpool.

Now, having featured in three promotions to the Premiership, suffered the pain of relegation twice and the bitter disappointment of two play-off near-misses, he has finally decided to retire to Iceland to start a new career as a lawyer.

"I'll find it difficult to let all this go," he admits, "but it is about time we called an end to this ongoing question about when I would retire.

"This is going to be my last season. You can only go on for so long and I don't want to be struggling and fighting to make the first 11 and finding my form dipping.

"Now is the time to retire and to concentrate on my other career in law and living back in Iceland with my family.

"It is time to call it a day."