Gary Lineker bid farewell to Match of the Day and to his 26-year career as the face of BBC football in an emotional final appearance on Sunday night. It ended in the only fitting way with a heartfelt montage, a few stumbles over notes, and a tear or two amid laughter and applause. Tributes poured in from family, friends, colleagues, and footballing legends. Pep Guardiola summed up the mood with a simple message: “You will be missed.”
At 64, Lineker took his last walk down memory lane, clearly moved but composed. Only a slight sniffle betrayed the emotion beneath his composed exterior. As he signed off, he quipped, “Rather like my football career, everyone else did the hard work and I got the plaudits. It’s been utterly joyous.”
Lineker often described presenting Match of the Day a show he grew up watching as a “privilege.” And over the past two and a half decades, he made it unmistakably his own. Though past hosts like David Coleman and Des Lynam paved the way, none stayed as long or left as big an imprint.
His journey with the programme began in 1999, following a brief stint as a pundit. His first appearance as host came on 7 August that year, opening with a playful nod to viewers: “Hey, tell you what, football’s back. Any good? Did I get the job?” That day, Chelsea dismantled newly-promoted Sunderland, with Lineker joined by pundits Alan Hansen and Trevor Brooking.
Fast forward to his final broadcast, and Lineker was joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards louder, livelier successors who also co-host The Rest Is Football podcast with him. Their easy camaraderie on the podcast contrasts with the more polished tone on Match of the Day, but both settings reveal the warmth and wit that have defined Lineker’s broadcasting style.
Over the years, Lineker became known for his dry humour, love of puns, and self-deprecating references to his playing days. His clean-cut image famously never booked as a player carried over into his TV persona. Even his most infamous promise to present the show in his underwear if Leicester City won the league ended in typically cheeky fashion, with Lineker donning oversized shorts rather than true pants.
For much of his tenure, Lineker avoided controversy. But in recent years, his social media presence brought him under scrutiny. Outspoken on issues like refugee rights and government policies, he became a lightning rod for debates over impartiality. A suspension over comments about asylum policy two years ago triggered a solidarity walkout by his fellow pundits, highlighting his influence both on and off the screen.
Although it was announced last autumn that Lineker would step away from BBC duties after the next men’s World Cup, recent controversy over a social media repost linked to the Gaza conflict abruptly curtailed that plan. The extended farewell was scrapped, and Sunday’s Match of the Day became his final appearance.
Opening the show with, “It wasn’t meant to end this way,” Lineker quickly turned the moment into a joke about the title race being over. From there, it was business as usual. The show moved briskly through its schedule, punctuated by laughter, small errors, and warm banter all of it unmistakably Lineker.
And then, just like that, it ended. No grand speech. Just the familiar comfort of the closing credits, a final smile, and the curtain falling on a golden chapter in sports broadcasting.
