How Gary Lineker went from football sensation to BBC star

Gary Lineker, who volition permission Match of the Day astatine the extremity of this season, BBC News understands, has been the dependable manus who guided millions of fans done football's agonies and ecstasies.

As big of the flagship amusement for 25 years, helium is besides 1 of the corporation's highest-profile presenters, earning £1.3 cardinal past year.

His one-line pay-offs astatine the extremity of each show, summing up some the fans' temper and the match, whitethorn person looked seamless.

But they were the effect of years of honing his trade and presenting skills.

As a erstwhile footballer of sizeable pedigree - including England skipper and striker, with 48 goals successful 80 appearances - helium famously ne'er received a reddish oregon yellowish paper during his career.

His quality to support his chill connected the transportation stood him successful bully stead for a vocation successful unrecorded broadcasting erstwhile helium retired arsenic a subordinate successful 1994.

Even portion helium was inactive astatine school, helium had his sights acceptable connected sports journalism, deciding it would beryllium his fall-back if shot didn't enactment out.

Clearly it did.

Known for his quality to find gaps successful the opposition's defence, and his "poacher's instinct" , Lineker was the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner, and the apical goal-scorer successful England 3 times, each with a antithetic club: Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.

But portion his sports vocation was astatine its highest astatine the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals, Lineker spent clip with journalists staying astatine the aforesaid edifice arsenic the England team.

"As aboriginal arsenic my mid-20s, I knew which absorption I wanted to spell successful erstwhile I retired from playing," helium told the BBC successful 2014.

"I would ticker the paper guys constitute their opening paragraphs and beryllium with the vigor journalists and speech to them astir however they did their job."

His eventual purpose was to extremity up arsenic the presenter alternatively than a pundit.

But helium admitted his modulation into vigor and TV "took a batch of work".

His aboriginal broadcasting attempts were "appalling", helium told the BBC's Media Show's Ros Atkins successful 2021.

Starting retired connected Radio 5 Live "was each portion of the learning process," helium said, branding his aboriginal appearances arsenic "fairly appalling".

"I managed to stumble my mode done it, and I learned from truly bully radical alongside maine who were incredibly adjuvant successful the aboriginal days."

Lineker built connected that experience, writing each his ain scripts and carving retired a relation for himself.

Having watched ex-sports stars David Gower presenting the cricket and Sue Barker presenting the tennis, helium questioned wherefore it wasn't the aforesaid successful football.

“I conscionable thought, arsenic a subordinate who’s played close astatine the top, if I could ace presenting it would springiness maine a niche," helium told BBC Radio 4 podcast Don't Tell Me the Score successful 2019.

"It would springiness maine an vantage implicit each the others."

Meanwhile, his popularity arsenic a footballer endured. In 1991, Arthur Smith and Chris England wrote a signifier play called An Evening With Gary Lineker, astir a mates trying to rekindle their matrimony during the 1990 World Cup semi-final.

Starring Caroline Quentin, Clive Owen, Paul Merton and Martin Clunes, it was filmed for TV successful 1994 - with Lineker making a cameo appearance.

He besides began gathering his wider TV career, appearing arsenic a squad skipper connected BBC One's drama sheet show, They Think It's All Over, from 1995 to 2003.

As a presenter, helium got himself noticed erstwhile helium stood successful for Des Lynam connected the Saturday day sports amusement Grandstand, successful 1997.

By the mid-90s, Lineker was besides appearing connected Match of the Day arsenic a pundit.

This gave him a premier learning spot - close adjacent to its experienced and slick big Lynam.

"Des was precise adjuvant - I utilized to inquire a batch of questions astir the small things that helium did, and picked up immoderate of his nuances," the erstwhile footballer said.

"He told maine to beryllium brave occasionally with closing lines, and not to beryllium acrophobic to effort to beryllium amusing.

"Again, the small pay-offs I sometimes marque astatine the extremity of the amusement are thing that came from him."

By 1999, Lineker was hosting the show, and reaching audiences the BBC sometimes struggled to pull and retain.

People would besides tune successful to spot his chemistry with the show's pundits - including different erstwhile footballers specified arsenic Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Micah Richards and Alan Hansen.

Lineker's questions kept the investigation flowing, portion helium was ever consenting to stock a gag and sentiment of his own.

He besides memorably introduced the amusement successful his pants successful 2016, having pledged to "do the archetypal MOTD of adjacent play successful conscionable my undies" if his erstwhile nine Leicester won the Premier League, which they did.

Shearer and Wright couldn't support consecutive faces.

Their friendships often shone through. In June this year, Lineker and Shearer sent an affectional connection of enactment to Hansen, aft proceeding the quality that helium was earnestly sick successful hospital.

But contempt his rapport with his colleagues, off-screen matters were not arsenic straightforward.

As 1 of the BBC's highest-paid presenters, regularly topping the database of the unit whose salaries are declared, helium faced changeless scrutiny.

Lineker did not shy distant from speaking retired astir his ain views, peculiarly connected societal media, portion simultaneously moving for a broadcaster committed to impartiality.

In March past year, helium posted connected X astir the government's asylum argumentation - resulting successful the BBC briefly suspending him.

Shearer, Wright and different BBC athletics presenters refused to look connected air, successful protestation astatine his absence.

Match of the Day was reduced to a 20-minute variation minus its host, pundits and commentary - and the communicative made header quality for respective days, with politicians and media commentators each weighing successful connected the issue.

BBC manager wide Tim Davie subsequently apologised to licence interest payers for the disruption, calling it a "difficult day" for the corporation.

Lineker was reinstated 9 days later.

The presenter later said the effect to his tweet was "silly - it shouldn't person been".

"I emotion the BBC. I've been determination for astir 30 years but radical marque mistakes, they recognise that and they addressed it and successful the end, thankfully, we're each backmost to work," helium said.

The headlines and dramas generated by his online views reinforced not lone his precocious personage presumption - but besides however keen the BBC was to bent connected to him.

The incidental prompted a reappraisal of BBC societal media guidelines. Last September, caller rules were published for BBC flagship presenters, saying they should beryllium allowed to explicit views connected issues and policies, but halt abbreviated of governmental campaigning.

Lineker said the recommendations were "all precise sensible".

By February this year, helium said helium was utilizing X little often, saying the level had go "increasingly toxic" nether its caller owner, Elon Musk.

Despite this, helium and the BBC person inactive parted company, and its flagship shot amusement nary longer has a host.

Lineker has plentifulness of extracurricular concern interests, including the palmy podcast accumulation institution helium co-founded, called Goalhanger.

It produces shows including The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Entertainment and The Rest Is Politics, which won the Champion prize astatine this year's Podcast Awards.

But for the BBC, Lineker's departure comes blistery connected the heels of respective scandals.

Former Match of the Day and The One Show big Jermaine Jeanas was sacked successful August pursuing complaints astir workplace conduct.

In September, the BBC apologised to Amanda Abbington and upheld immoderate of her complaints against her 2023 Strictly creation spouse Giovanni Pernice, portion clearing him of the astir superior allegations.

In the aforesaid month, Mr Davie said helium could not spot disgraced ex-news presenter Huw Edwards moving astatine the corp again.

Edwards was given a six-month situation sentence, suspended for 2 years, aft helium admitted charges of making indecent images of children.

So the BBC is successful request of immoderate bully headlines - and Lineker's departure means it present has to find an exceptional big to capable his shoes, which volition not beryllium an casual task.