From being one of England’s best-ever international goalscorers to one of the most well-known presenters on British television, Gary Lineker has made quite a career for himself.
To many, nowadays, Lineker is most recognised as the presenter of Match of the Day on BBC One.
Football FanCast has decided to take a deeper dive into his accomplishments, failures and what made him the man he is today.
Who is Gary Lineker?
Gary Lineker is a widely known figure in sports media. He presents BBC’s Match of the Day program on Saturday nights, as well as presenting various international and domestic games that are aired on BBC.
He first made a name for himself as a player, turning out for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Leicester City and Barcelona, as well as being a prolific goalscorer for England at international level.
The former professional footballer was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, as well as being awarded an OBE for his services to the sport.
How old is Gary Lineker?
Gary Lineker was born in Leicester, England. His date of birth was 30th November 1960. This currently makes Gary 63 years old.
What is Gary Lineker’s net worth?
Gary Lineker’s wealth is estimated to be around £30 million.
His football career will have treated him relatively well financially, but his sports media career has really stepped things up with multiple roles and sources of income.
The presenter has an endorsement deal with Walkers Crisps, which earns him roughly £1.5 million per year.
As well as this, the Englishman presented Champions League football for BT Sport, where he reportedly collected £3 million a year. He also has roles with the BBC, presenting on Match of the Day, various domestic cup games and international tournaments.
Gary Lineker’s yearly salary
In 2022-23, Gary Lineker was revealed to be the highest earner at the BBC. He received a whopping take-home pay of around £1.35m.
As mentioned above, he also brings in around £1.5 million per year through his endorsement deal with Walkers.
Gary Lineker’s wife
Gary Lineker is actually single at this moment in time, but his ex-wife goes by the name of Danielle Bux.
He married Danielle in September 2009, but the marriage only lasted six years, and they split in early 2016.
But the pair still get on rather well and were even spotted on holiday together in Ibiza, as well as attending Wimbledon last year.
Where does Gary Lineker live?
A little bit personal, but every celebrity’s home can be viewed online nowadays.
It is believed that Gary currently resides in Barnes in West London, with his house situated alongside the River Thames.
The mansion is thought to be worth a whopping £4 million.
You may actually notice his living room from a Walkers advert and a couple of interviews he’s done on live television before, or, of course, his podcast with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
How long has Gary Lineker been on Match of the Day?
It’s almost a part of everyone’s Saturday to sit down at around 10.30pm and watch all of the day’s football highlights on Match of the Day. Of course, the analysis isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it just wouldn’t be the same without Lineker, who effortlessly brings banter and unbiased opinions on incidents and matches, which makes the show that extra bit special.
Interestingly, before becoming a presenter on Match of the Day, Lineker was actually an analyst on the show himself. He hasn’t looked back since, and over 24 years later, he is now the longest-serving host of the show after taking over from the legendary Des Lynam.
Is Gary Lineker leaving Match of the Day?
Don’t worry, you can relax, Gary Lineker’s plans to potentially leave the show have now been abandoned.
It was rumoured that Jermaine Jenas might be the new host of Match of the Day with Lineker possibly departing the role at the end of his current deal in 2025. However, it’s been reported that the BBC are closing in on a new deal with the presenter, which will see him earn lots more money and take him to 2029 on the show’s hotseat.
What Gary Lineker said about Qatar
When Lineker was hosting the BBC’s coverage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup during the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador, things didn’t start very well as the presenter took a slight dig at the hosts in his opening monologue:
“It’s the most controversial World Cup in history and a ball hasn’t even been kicked.
“Ever since FIFA chose Qatar back in 2010, the smallest nation to have hosted football’s greatest competition has faced some big questions.
“From accusations of corruption in the bidding process to the treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums where many lost their lives.
“Homosexuality is illegal here, women’s rights and freedom of expression are in the spotlight; also, the decision six years ago to switch the World Cup from summer to winter.
“Against that backdrop, there’s a tournament to be played, one that will be watched and enjoyed around the world. Stick to football, say FIFA – well, we will, for a couple of minutes at least.”
Why Gary Lineker was suspended by the BBC
Back in March of last year, Lineker took to his personal X account to write about a video in which home secretary Suella Braverman unveiled plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats.
And he continued, stating: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”
It didn’t stop there, either, as he stamped down on his position, stating that he would continue to speak up for the “voiceless” after a number of MPs took offence to his posts on X.
This is what led to his temporary suspension from the BBC, as they released a statement stating that he will not be returning to his long-time presenting role until they have got an “agreed and clear position on his use of social media”.
However, the broadcaster giants ended up backing down and reinstating the presenter after backlash from pundits across the industry and fans all over social media.
Clubs Gary Lineker played for
Gary Lineker enjoyed a very successful football career both for club and country. He made 436 appearances, scoring 226 goals and laying on eight assists for five different domestic clubs.
His international career was just as impressive, as he appeared 80 times and bagged 48 goals along the way.
During his playing career, he won Footballer of the Year twice, five different top goalscorer awards in different competitions, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, one FA Cup, one Spanish Cup, three Community Shields, was awarded an OBE in 1992 and inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
The clubs he played for were Leicester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Nagoya Grampus.
|
Club |
Appearances |
Goals |
|---|---|---|
|
FC Barcelona |
138 |
51 |
|
Tottenham Hotspur |
122 |
74 |
|
Everton |
104 |
58 |
|
Leicester City |
48 |
35 |
|
Nagoya Grampus |
24 |
8 |
What happened between Gary Lineker and Lee Anderson
If there’s one thing you need to know about Gary, it’s that he won’t back down. Especially on his personal X account.
Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson sparked up a bit of a challenge for Gary Lineker as he wanted him to come to his Ashfield constituency and run against him for parliament. This was on the back of Lineker’s comments about Suella Braverman.
Anderson stated: “It looks like the BBC’s highest-paid publicly funded stars can continue to bite the hand that feeds them. Lineker is laughing all the way to the bank while attacking our Home Secretary. Maybe he should stand for parliament, I hear Ashfield Labour are looking for a candidate.”
However, it didn’t stop there, as Gary later went on to mock the MP on his official X account after a back-and-forth regarding the government’s Rwanda policy, with him even suggesting Anderson won’t be in work come the next election.
Gary Lineker poo incident
When you’ve got a dodgy belly, there’s very little you can do about it, which is what Gary Lineker found out during the World Cup in 1990.
The now-infamous incident during England’s 1990 tournament opener against Ireland occurred when Lineker decided he couldn’t make it to the toilet, so let out some human waste on the pitch.
There were early signs that Lineker ignored, as he started to feel some bowel problems the day before, but with it being the opening game of the tournament, he was desperate to play.
If he had the decision to make again he may have opted to sit out, as he was left rather embarrassed.
He stated: “It was like, ‘Oh my god’, but it was like everywhere. There’s a bit, if you ever see the footage, where Gary Stevens comes over and asks what’s wrong. And I go, ‘I’ve s*** myself’. I just didn’t know what to do. Thank God I had dark blue shorts on that day. I’m shovelling it out and rubbing myself on the grass like a dog.”
Gary Lineker HMRC Tax incident
Gary Lineker was embroiled in a battle with HMRC over a £4.9 million tax bill.
HMRC had informed the presenter that he should have been classed as an employee, despite him operating as a freelancer for BT Sport and the BBC.
He took it upon himself to appeal to a tribunal to fight back against the action, which is designed to clamp down on tax avoidance by so-called disguised employees.
And it appeared as if it was just HMRC trying to get more money out of the former English striker, as a judge ruled that Lineker was a freelancer who had direct contracts with the two broadcasters, therefore the legislation did not apply to him.