Lineker to leave Match Of The Day after 26 years

It was announced on Nov 11 that Gary Lineker is set to step down as Match of the Day presenter at the end of this season.

Following an illustrious career as a striker for England, Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton, and his home-team Leicester, Lineker first presented the show in 1999. He memorably appeared on the first show of the 2016/17 season in just his underwear after pledging to “do the first MOTD of next season in just my undies” should Leicester win the Premier League.

“When I tweeted that silly bet back in December, I categorically knew there was zero chance of Leicester winning the league. Zero chance. It happened but it was magical, it was great.”
His tenure will have spanned 26 years by the time of his departure in May 2025. Long-standing pundit Ian Wright also left the show in May 2024 after first debuting in 1997 when he was still a player.

BBC Sport said:“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show”

With his contract coming to an end, Lineker entered negotiations with the BBC, but he was not offered a new contract. Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport said:“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. […] He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”

He has signed a contract extension to lead the BBC’s coverage of the 2025/26 FA Cup and 2026 World Cup but has also stepped down as presenter of BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He will continue to headline the MOTD Top Ten podcast with pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards and their other podcast The Rest is Football will also be available on BBC Sounds from next month.

Greg Dyke questioned if Lineker’s vocal political stances on
social media contributed to his departure

Former BBC director general Greg Dyke questioned if Lineker’s vocal political stances on social media contributed to his departure. Lineker was briefly suspended by the BBC last year after describing asylum policy as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. In response numerous pundits including Shearer and Wright refused to take part in the show in solidarity.

“I thought that he was a sports presenter, and therefore what he was saying about politics was
irrelevant to his performance as a presenter. […] But it’s there in the background. So it must have been a thought in the mind of whoever took the decision.”
The BBC has also made recent job cuts as part of a broader effort to reduce annual costs by £700m. Lineker is the highest paid of all BBC pundits and presenters, earning more than £1.35m a year.

Lineker’s presence on the beloved football show will be missed by viewers across the country, the younger of whom may not remember a time when he didn’t appear on their screen every Saturday night.

The announcement of his departure has sparked much conversation about his potential replacement, of which candidates may include Match of the Day 2’s presenter Mark Chapman, or fellow BBC presenters Gabby Logan or Alex Scott.