The BBC’s highest paid presenter Gary Lineker bid fond farewell to his hosting duties on the flagship football highlights show Match of the Day Sunday evening.
Lineker, a former England football player, had been presenting the show since 1999, but earlier this year he announced he’d be stepping down from the high-profile role after 26 years.
However, his departure became controversial a week ago after the BBC announced his resignation following a tweet that could be considered anti-Semitic that Lineker explained he had posted in error.
Sunday evening saw Lineker opening his final show with a cheeky reference to the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding his exit. He told viewers:
“It wasn’t meant to end this way…” and paused before adding: “But with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had left to talk about.”
Towards the end of the show, however, he became emotional as football stars and pundits lined up to pay tribute to his long successful stint as host.
Wiping his eyes, Lineker said:
Let me thank for all the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the 25 years. Thank you for all the people on the show you don’t see.. Thank you all.
“Rather like my football career, everyone else did the hard work.”
Lineker’s tenure as one of the most high-profile faces of the BBC had become increasingly wobbly following his suspension in 2023 after another political tweet. On that occasion, pundits and commentators walked out in support of him, and the BBC sports schedule was fragmented for a whole weekend. Match of the Day was broadcast with no presenter, no studio pundits or match commentators and reduced in length. On that occasion, Lineker apologised and returned to the fold, but it was clear his needs to express himself politically, and the BBC’s need for its biggest names to maintain their impartiality, meant a divorce was on the cards.
Lineker has been courted by rival sports broadcasters in the UK, but for the moment says he will focus on his thriving Goalhanger podcast production company. It has spawned some of the country’s most successful podcasts, including one with him at the helm, The Rest is Football.
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