Gary Lineker and ‘Match of the Day’ done: the BBC confirmed on Tuesday the departure of the star who has presented the popular football program since 1999.After a quarter century, Gary retired from hosting the show at the end of this season“, reported this Tuesday morning by the public audiovisual group.
The information was revealed on Monday evening by the tabloid ‘The Sun’, which published the news on its front page on Tuesday, as well as the ‘Daily Mail’, the ‘Times’ and the ‘The Guardian’. However, a renewal was signed. The BBC’s highest paid presenter, with an estimated annual salary of €1.6 million, will commentate at the FA Cup in 2025-2026 and then the 2026 World Cup before retiringaccording to the group.
Lineker, almost 64 years old, is a very famous figure in England, especially as a former player: he scored goals for Leicester, FC Barcelona and even Tottenham and wore the shirt of the national team in 80 times, before retiring in 1994. Top scorer in the 1986 World Cup (6), despite being eliminated in the quarterfinals, he reached the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup, where he lost against West Germany despite scoring a goal. “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two people chase a ball for 90 minutes and in the end the Germans always win,” he commented in a phrase lost to history.
His second career, in television, began in August 1999 when the BBC commissioned him to present ‘Match of The Day’, an unmissable event for football lovers in England. “With 33 million viewers last season for the Premier League and FA Cup, the show remains part of the staple diet of football fans who still get a thrill when listening to this iconic song every Saturday night.“, the BBC wrote on Tuesday, when it made the news official.
In March 2023, Lineker was suspended for criticizing a Conservative government proposal aimed at stopping migrants arriving illegally from seeking asylum in the UK, “a harsh policy aimed at the most vulnerable, in language that does not differentiate in use by Germany in the 1930s”. These comments were strongly criticized by the government and right-wing newspapers and reignited the debate about political impartiality at the BBC. However, he received the support of many personalities and his dismissal was lifted after a week.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
