'An absolute joy': Gary Lineker says ‘right time’ to leave Match of the Day
Gary Lineker has said it was "an absolute joy and privilege" to host Match of the Day for over two decades but it was "the right time" for him to leave.
The 63-year-old former England striker will step down as the host of Match of the Day (MOTD) at the end of the season as the BBC plans to make changes to the programme.
However, he will continue to present the broadcaster's coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025/26 season and the World Cup in 2026.
“It has been an absolute joy and privilege to present such an iconic show for the BBC, but all things have to come to an end,” Lineker said on his podcast, The Rest Is Football.
“It came at a point where really the BBC and Match Of The Day, they’ve got the rights for another three years, the cycle starts from next season so it felt like if I just do one more year it would be a bit weird.”
The Leciester-born sports presenter added: "I bowed out in my football career when I felt it was the right time. I feel this is now the right time.“I think the next contract they’re looking to do Match Of The Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”
However, Lineker did not speculate on who would replace him on MOTD. Rumours have cast Mark Chapman, the regular Match Of The Day 2 presenter, Football Focus host Alex Scott, and BBC sports coverage presenter Gabby Logan, as potential replacements.
“Obviously I don’t know who it’ll be, and I would never tell publicly my preference, I don’t think that’d be the right thing to do – but whoever it is, I would say be yourself,” he said.
“I had to fill the ginormous shoes of certain Des Lynam.
“…I would say just be yourself and enjoy it, it’s a wonderful programme to be a part of. It was brilliant before I took over, and it will be brilliant after I leave.
Since 1999, Lineker has hosted MOTD and will have presented the show for more than a quarter of a century when he leaves in May 2025.
He said: "I look back and it’s been an amazing experience, and I feel incredibly fortunate."
Last year, Lineker was briefly suspended from hosting MOTD after his tweet about the Tory government's Rwanda policy ignited controversy regarding BBC's presenters expressing political opinions on social media.
“I’ve had a lot of chaos over the last couple of years in many ways,” Lineker joked, saying he was on “first-name terms with some of the people that stand outside my front door”.
He added that he was surprised by “the amount of love” he has received since news of his departure broke, which he described as “a bit bonkers”.
“I didn’t think it would be quite the big deal that it was – it’s just a guy that has done a TV show for a long time, it’s nothing more than,” he said.
Lineker will continue hosting the MOTD Top Ten podcast, while his other podcast, The Rest is Football, featuring BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will now be available on BBC Sounds.
He has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years and was estimated to have earned £1.35 million in the year 2023/24, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
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