Who is Gary Lineker? Football achievements, broadcasting career and controversies for former England star

Gary Lineker will present Match of the Day for the final time on Sunday, ending an association with the BBC that has spanned four decades.

After a playing career as a prolific forward for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and England, Lineker moved into broadcasting in the 1990s.

He replaced Des Lynam as the Match of the Day host in 1999 and went on to become, in the words of BBC director general Tim Davie, "a defining voice in football coverage."

Lineker has also moved successfully into podcasting and television producing, but his prominent position in the UK's public life has not been without controversy, and this certainly applies to the hasty manner of his departure.

MORE: Who is replacing Gary Lineker on Match of the Day?

Who is Gary Lineker?

Gary Lineker is an English former professional footballer who has worked as a broadcaster since retiring from the sport.

Playing as a striker, he began his career at Leicester City before later playing for Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham, and Nagoya Grampus in Japan. He also played 80 times for the senior England national team, including at the FIFA World Cups of 1986 and 1990.

After retirement in 1994, Lineker embarked on a highly successful media career that included significant broadcasting roles with the BBC and TNT Sports.

Gary Lineker football career, achievements

A masterful goal-getter for club and country, Lineker scored 283 in 573 club appearances, while his 48 goals in 80 matches for England made him the country's second-highest all-time leading scorer behind Bobby Charlton. That mark has since been passed by Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane.

A haul of 46 goals across back-to-back First Division seasons with hometown club Leicester City brought about a move to reigning champions Everton in 1985.

In his only season at Goodison Park, Lineker scored 40 goals in all competitions as Howard Kendall's side finished as runners-up to rivals Liverpool. That summer, he won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and Barcelona came calling.

Lineker's three seasons in Catalonia included a hat-trick in El Clasico and 52 goals in 138 games for the Blaugrana. He returned to England in 1989 for a three-year stint at Tottenham that took in England's run to the 1990 World Cup.

He scored 80 times in 138 appearances for Spurs, including a superb 28 in his final league season. Lineker had already agreed a move to Japanese side Nagoya Grampus by the time he brought the curtain down on his England career in 1992. A debilitating toe injury hastened his retirement from football in September 1994, aged 33.

Lineker's biggest trophies were the 1988 Copa del Rey and 1989 Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona, and the 1991 FA Cup with Spurs. Twice the FWA Footballer of the Year in England, he was runner-up to Igor Belanov in the 1986 Ballon d'Or after finishing as the top goal-scorer at the World Cup that year.

Gary Lineker: MOTD and BBC presenter

Lineker began his television and media career shortly after his retirement, working as a football pundit and fronting advertising campaigns for Leicester-based snack company Walkers.

His big break as Match of the Day host arrived before the turn of the century, allowing him to helm a weekly highlights show that has run in England since 1964. A keen amateur golfer, Lineker also fronted the BBC's coverage of The Masters and The Open Championship when it held those rights, while he was also a lead presenter at the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Lineker's football presenting also led him to anchor BT Sport's Champions League coverage between 2015 and 2021. When he stepped down from that role, he cited wanting to follow Leicester as a fan during their forthcoming Europa League campaign among the reasons. Around that time, he also penned a multi-year agreement with La Liga TV.

Gary Lineker Twitter controversies

Particularly in the period following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union, Lineker has been noted for sharing his political views on Twitter.

Ahead of the 2017 General Election, when the Conservatives were led by Theresa May and Labour by Jeremy Corbyn, Lineker tweeted: "Anyone else feel politically homeless? Everything seems far right or way left. Something sensibly centrist might appeal?"

Lineker has taken stances in support of migrant rights and, more recently, the victims of Israel's war in Gaza. This has led to several critics, predominantly from sections of the UK's right-wing print media, accusing Lineker of being in breach of the BBC's impartiality guidelines.

In March 2023. Lineker criticised the UK's Conservative government and its home secretary, Suella Braverman, for their policies aimed at stopping migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Lineker accused them of "an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

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?

The BBC found Lineker to be in breach of its guidelines but, when he was stood down from Match of the Day duty, a plethora of BBC talent including fellow former England strikers Alan Shearer and Ian Wright withdrew from their duties on the weekend of March 11 and 12.

Joint statements from Lineker and the BBC drew a line under the matter on March 13. The following year, reports emerged that Lineker would stand down as Match of the Day host at the end of the 2024/25 season.

When those were confirmed early in 2025, the intention was for Lineker to remain as BBC host for its live match coverage in the FA Cup and at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, an Instagram post he shared in support of Palestinians that featured an anti-Semitic trope brought about a complete exit from the BBC in May 2025. Lineker apologised for any offence caused and insisted he did not intentionally share the anti-Semitic material.

"Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember, both on the pitch and in the studio," he said. "I care deeply about the game, and about the work I've done with the BBC over many years. As I've said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic — it goes against everything I stand for.

"However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action."

Gary Lineker net worth, wife, family, age

Lineker was the BBC's top earner with an annual salary of £1.35 million. This contributed to an estimated net worth of £30m, according to The Mirror.

His Goalhanger films and podcasts company is another source of income.

Lineker has four sons, all from his first marriage to Michelle Cokayne, which ended in 2006 after 20 years. He married Danielle Bux in 2009, divorcing in 2016.

Following his time playing for Barcelona, Lineker, who was born in November 1960, speaks fluent Spanish.