Gary Lineker made a mistake when telling his eldest son, George, he couldn’t support Manchester United. Leicester City fan Lineker, who will step down from his role as host of BBC’s Match of the Day from the end of this season, has four sons with ex-wife Michelle Cockayne.
However, when his eldest, George, came home from school wishing to be a fan of the Red Devils, Lineker’s swift denial only spurred his firstborn on – an approach the 63-year-old has now admitted was a mistake.
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When asked by a fan on The Rest Is Football podcast what sort of influence one should have on which team their child supports, Lineker responded: “I made a kind of tactical error with my eldest son George, who is very contrary, let's say.
“I think I've talked about his support for Manchester United – all my other three boys support Leicester, and I perhaps learnt from my previous mistake. George came home from school one day, he must have been about four or five, he went, ‘dad, dad, I’m gonna support Manchester United like my friend John.’ I went – and I made a mistake – I said 'no you’re not.’
“And immediately he thought, ‘oh, I like this; I like this contrary aspect'. So, that's why I've got one Manchester United supporter and three Leicester fans.”
Speaking alongside his peers Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, the question was put to the pair, with the former adding: “Well, my son was born half a mile from St James’ Park, so he didn’t really have a choice. It was always going to be Newcastle.
“Well, the girls… Newcastle, yeah, but I wouldn’t say they love their football; if they have a team, then it's obviously Newcastle.”
Lineker interjected, throwing the conversation over to their other co-star, Richards, who began his career with youth career with Leeds United as a schoolboy before later joining Manchester City aged 14. The only other clubs Richards represented in his professional career were Fiorentina and Aston Villa, and Lineker asked him: “Now this is the interesting question – Micah Richards, your young son, how are you influencing him in terms of what team he supports?”
“It’s a disaster," ex-City defender Richards laughed back. “It’s an absolute disaster. He talked about Man United because of [Marcus] Rashford, and I said I will never take you to football again if you support Man United. He's a Yorkshireman. We can't do that. Then, he started liking [Erling] Haaland, but he also likes [Bukayo] Saka as well. He’s got a half-and-half scarf at the moment. Embarrassing!
“Who would I like him to support? I would say Man City, only because… Because the club there have been amazing with me, obviously, my son as well. Manchester City, I’m not going to give you an explanation,” to which Lineker quipped: “I can't wait to see him in an Arsenal kit!”
