Gary Lineker: BBC pushed me out of £1.3m Match of the Day job
Gary Lineker has revealed that the BBC pushed him out of his long-running £1.3m job as presenter of Match of the Day.
Lineker’s departure at the end of this season after 26 years in the role was announced in November, with the BBC describing the move as him “stepping down” and saying he’d be “hugely missed”.
The former England striker was reported to have been open to continuing and has now confirmed that he wanted to remain host of the flagship football show.
“I always wanted one more contract,” said Lineker, who will still present some live games for the corporation until summer 2026.
“It was their preference that I didn’t do Match of the Day for one more year so they could bring in new people. So it’s slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but, to be honest, it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.
“It’s time. I’ve done it for a long time, it’s been brilliant, it’s been great… Well, perhaps they want me to leave… There was a sense of that.”
Lineker is due to present his final edition of Match of the Day next month. The 64-year-old will be replaced by a rotating trio of Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan next season.
Gary Lineker: I won’t do TV after leaving BBC
He said he stood by criticism of the previous Conservative government’s immigration policy which saw him suspended by the BBC in 2023 but regretted the ensuing public row.
“Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No, I wouldn’t, because of all the nonsense that came with it,” he added.
“I love the BBC, and I didn’t like the damage that it did to the BBC. But do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No.”
Lineker also said he would bow out of TV presenting for good next year and instead concentrate on his successful Goalhanger Podcasts portfolio.
“I think I’ll probably focus more on the podcast world, because it’s such a fun business and it’s just been so incredible,” he said.