Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry

11/11/2024 - LONDON - The former Leicester City striker had vowed to present the BBC football programme in his undies if the club won the Premier League title, which they did against the odds. Broadcaster Gary Lineker is to step down as host of flagship football programme Match of the Day at the end of this season, BBC News understands. It is expected to be announced officially on Tuesday by the BBC. The Sun, who first reported the story, external, also said the presenter would leave the BBC after leading coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. The BBC press office declined to comment. The Premier League season ends in May 2025. The news comes after Lineker entered negotiations with the BBC over a new contract in October. Lineker told Esquire magazine in August, in an interview published this month, that he accepts he will "have to slow down at some point". The broadcaster has hosted the BBC's flagship football show Match of the Day since 1999. The 63-year-old is one of the corporation's best-known presenters and its highest-paid star, of those whose salaries are declared, earning more than £1.3m a year. Lineker has also presented coverage of major tournaments like World Cups and European Championships for the BBC, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremonies. He has worked for other sports networks during his time at the BBC, including US network NBC and BT Sport (now TNT Sport), and branched out into podcasts. However, the former footballer has also been involved in controversy at the corporation because of his social media activity. He was briefly suspended by BBC bosses last year after an outcry over a post about the UK's asylum policy. Before becoming a TV presenter, Lineker had a hugely successful career as a striker for England as well as Leicester, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona.PICTURE: BBC/UNPIXS 11/11/2024 (Image: BBC)

Gary Lineker has opened up about his most memorable and cringe-worthy moments from his tenure on Match of the Day. The Spurs and England icon, who is set to hang up his presenting boots for the BBC highlights show after this season, will still be seen leading the 2026 World Cup coverage but is stepping down from the Premier League summaries.

Since taking the helm in 1999, Lineker has witnessed a plethora of remarkable footballing drama, but it's his cherished Leicester City that have given him both his high and low points on the programme. His least favourite episode, often recalled with a mix of hilarity and horror by fans, involved a rather scantily clad presentation.

On The Rest Is Football podcast, when probed about his top Match of the Day memory, Lineker didn't hesitate: "You know what one it is, when Leicester won the league."

Micah Richards quizzed him if he relished the infamous broadcast where he was clad only in Leicester-themed underwear, to which he confessed: "No, not that one, that was my least favourite one."

Leicester winning the league was an emotional time for Lineker (Image: Getty Images)

This came after Lineker's rash bet during the 2015/16 season, where he vowed in December 2015 to host the programme in his boxers should Leicester, then 5000/1 underdogs, clinch the Premier League title, reports the Mirror.

The Foxes' title victory is often heralded as the most astonishing upset in English football history. The presenter expressed his reluctance about having to strip down but the sheer elation of those moments remained indelible.

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He shared: "My favourite one was when Leicester received the Premier League trophy on the final day of the season. When Claudio Ranieri came out with [Andrea] Bocelli."

Gary Lineker speaking on his podcast (Image: YouTube/The Rest is Football Podcast)

"I got so emotional. I was sat in the office and I had tears down my cheeks. That was definitely my favourite moment."

In a discussion, Shearer queried if Leicester's FA Cup win over Chelsea in 2021 ranked among his treasured memories too. Brendan Rodgers’ squad, considered underdogs, lined up against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

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Youri Tielemans’ magnificent long-range effort secured the esteemed trophy under the Wembley arch in an iconic match, which also featured ex-Fox Ben Chilwell’s leveler for Chelsea, ultimately overruled by a marginal offside call following a VAR check.

Reflecting on that match, Lineker remarked: "That was special. But, I think, we're talking about the actual Match of the Day, but I guess the FA Cup final is a Match of the Day in that sense. Yes, those two. They are two things I thought I would never witness in my lifetime. They were my special ones."

Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry

Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry

Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry

Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry

Gary Lineker recaps Match of the Day moments after fessing up incident that made him cry