Gary Lineker to quit Match Of The Day after 25 years
Gary Lineker is set to quit Match Of The Day (MOTD) after 25 years.
The Sun has reported that the football star will leave the show at the end of this Premier League season in May.
As the longest-serving host, Lineker has hosted MOTD for a whole quarter of a century, and let's be honest, it'll feel a little weird without him.
However, he won't leave the BBC straight away after that, as a deal with the corporation means he'll stay on to anchor its 2025/26 FA Cup coverage and the 2026 World Cup.
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It's expected Lineker's departure will be officially announced tomorrow (12 November) by the BBC.
When approached by LADbible, a BBC spokesperson declined to comment.
The 63-year-old's future at the show has been a little up in the air, with rumours circulating over the year about his career plans.
In a recent interview with Esquire, he seemed to drop a bit of hint as he said: "I could [leave]. Whether that will be the case I don’t know. At some point, I have to slow down somewhere… I’m getting old.”
But when he appeared on BBC Breakfast earlier this year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of MOTD, he seemed a little more relaxed about it all.
"It depends how long they want me, I suppose. I love doing it at the moment; I've still got another year left, at least. So we'll have to wait and see what happens," he said.
"Obviously it's another change in football and television and the rights of the Premier League and stuff like that. All of these things will play a part. But I just feel it's been an absolute privilege to have presented it for 25 years now. I must be getting old!"
Lineker is one of the BBC's best-known presenters and is the corporation's highest paid stars of those whose salaries are declared.
The former England player rakes in over £1.3 million a year, so it'll be quite the pay cut when he steps down.
Over the years, the star has of course presented coverage of huge tournaments like World Cups and European Championships for the broadcaster, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremonies.
But he has of course also been involved in controversy, due to his social media. Last year, Lineker was briefly suspended following backlash to a post about the UK's asylum policy.
This then led to a review of social media guidelines at the BBC, which concluded that high-profile presenters should be allowed to express their views on issues and policies, but stop short of political campaigning.
LADbible has contacted Lineker's reps for comment.
Topics: BBC, Football, Gary Lineker, Sport, TV
Jess Battison