As one of the BBC‘s highest paid presenters, it is thought that Gary Lineker is held to a higher standard for his conduct both onscreen and online.
But despite his status, the former England footballer is often criticised for stirring up controversy and landing himself in hot water as a result.
The 63-year-old became a recurring face in homes across the nation when he began presenting Match Of The Day in 1999, taking over from fan favourite Des Lynam.
More than 26 years on, the star striker is now set to hang up his boots once again, as it emerged yesterday he will leave the show after the 2026 World Cup in America, Mexico, and Canada.
The news, whilst shocking for some fans, did not come as a surprise to others, given his recent track record of outspoken tweets and onscreen remarks.
From his views on Brexit and arguments with MPs to a row over breaching BBC advertising rules, here MailOnline looks at some of the the 63-year-old’s more outlandish moments as he brings down the curtain on his MOTD career.
During the Euros, Lineker was heavily criticised after he was alleged to have broken BBC guidelines by appearing to wear his own range of menswear
Lineker presented Match of the Day in his underwear after promising to do so if Leicester won the league in 2016
Accused of flouting BBC advertising rules
During the Euros, Lineker was heavily criticised after he was alleged to have broken BBC guidelines by appearing to wear his own range of menswear.
The presenter donned a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket while fronting the corporation’s coverage on England’s game against Serbia which was beamed to nearly 15 million viewers.
The top looked identical to a £16 T-shirt and £55 jacket he was pictured advertising on the clothing brand’s website.
BBC staff were said to be furious by Lineker’s apparent disregard of the rules.
‘Staff are really resentful at how much he is protected,’ a source told The Times.
‘He literally has carte blanche. The BBC response is to turn a blind eye. They won’t even say whether they will speak to him.’
Lineker appearing to wear his own range of menswear during England’s opening game against Serbia at the Euros
He is pictured modelling a similar £16 T-shirt that is advertised on Next’s website
One critic sarcastically asked if he will be eating crisps next in a nod to him famously once being the face of Walkers
Calling England ‘s***’
Later on in the tournament, Lineker generated headlines once again after branding England’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Denmark as being ‘s***’.
The BBC star made the comments on his ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, which he hosts and is owned by Goalhanger, his production company.
A number of England’s star players – including the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice – fired back at Lineker with his comments dominating the build-up to their final group stage match.
‘You can think of all sorts of words and expletives if you like, but it was s***,’ Lineker said after the Denmark draw.
The Telegraph reported that BBC staff felt ‘unhappy, uncomfortable and embarrassed’ by Lineker’s direct criticism of the England manager.
Lineker appeared on his ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast where he branded England’s performance in their 1-1 Euros draw against Denmark as being ‘s***’
England succumbed to a 1-1 draw against Denmark in June earlier this year
Nazi Germany jibe
In March last year Lineker compared the language used by the then Home Secretary Suella Braverman to describe the small boats crisis as being ‘not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s…’
It came after Lineker shared an online a video of Mrs Braverman outlining the Illegal Migration Bill, with the comment: ‘Good heavens, this is beyond awful.’
Following the tweet, he was accused of being out of order. The former England star then defended himself by saying: ‘There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
‘This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?’
The remarks incensed Conservative MPs who accused the presenter of an ‘extraordinary and outrageous slur’.
In March last year Lineker compared the language used by the then Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured) to describe the small boats crisis as being ‘not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s…’
The comments (pictured) came after Lineker shared an online a video of Mrs Braverman outlining the Illegal Migration Bill
Endorsing video about the Middle East crisis
In November last year, Lineker sparked fresh controversy as he endorsed a 13-minute clip which showed journalist Owen Jones interviewing Israeli-American historian Raz Segal about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
In the video, Prof Segal criticises the IDF’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas’ sickening terror attacks on October 7, which saw more than 1,400 civilians in Israel massacred.
Mr Segal, an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, said the October 7 Hamas attack was ‘not a crime related to the Holocaust in any way’.
He later added: ‘I think that what we’re seeing in front of our eyes is a textbook case of genocide.’
Lineker shared the video on his X page, along with the caption: ‘Worth 13 minutes of anyone’s time.’
The post sparked fury with Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard accusing the ex-England star of ‘universe-bending ignorance’.
Lineker endorsed a video which showed journalist Owen Jones (left) interviewing Israeli-American historian Raz Segal (right) about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East
Lineker reposted the video alongside the caption: ‘Worth 13 minutes of anyone’s time’
Taunting Grant Shapps over the Rwanda scheme
Lineker caused more ire among Tory MPs in December last year after he was among a host of celebrities to put their names on a letter calling for the Rwanda plan to be scrapped.
Grant Shapps, the then Defence Secretary, criticised Lineker’s stance and said he should ‘stick to football’ rather than ‘meddling in other areas’.
Lineker tweeted in response: ‘A tad rich coming from someone who can’t even stick to one name. 4 chaps Shapps.’ A mock-up showed the MP with three names he had previously used for ‘business purposes’.
Lineker also hit back at Tory chairman ’30p Lee’ Anderson who had said the British people wanted to ‘stop the boats and tell overpaid crisp salesmen to put a sock in it’.
‘I guess we’ll find out what the will of the British people is at the next general election. If you do end up out of work, I’ll put in a word for you with @walkers_crisps,’ the Match of the Day presenter wrote.
And turning on Stoke-on-Trent North MP Jonathan Gullis, who’d accused him of breaking the BBC’s impartiality guidelines, Lineker said: ‘Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines….or, should I say, had someone read them to him?’
Gary Lineker mocked Defence Secretary Grant Shapps for questioning his decision to co-sign an open letter opposing the Rwanda scheme
He included a mock-up that showed the MP with three names Mr Shapps had previously used for ‘business purposes’
Qatar World Cup rant
Lineker was accused of ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘virtue signalling’ after he and other pundits launched into a segment about controversies and human rights issues in Qatar at the start of the 2022 World Cup.
His opening monologue for the BBC’s coverage of the tournament addressed the human rights record in the host nation immediately.
Alan Shearer, Alex Scott and Ashley Williams were working as pundits and also addressed Qatar’s behaviour since being handed host status.
Football fans reacted with anger to the coverage and said they simply wanted to watch the matches, pointing out that if the presenters were so concerned over human rights issues they could simply have refused to fly there instead.
Lineker was accused of ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘virtue signalling’ after he launched into a segment about controversies and human rights issues in Qatar at the start of the 2022 World Cup
Fireworks explode in the sky in Doha on November 20, 2022, during the opening day of the Qatar World Cup
Row with senior BBC journalist
In August 2022, Lineker sparked a row with a senior BBC journalist with a Tweet about sewage.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘As a politician how could you ever, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote for pumping sewage into our seas? Unfathomable!’
The tweet prompted veteran BBC journalist Neil Henderson, a home and foreign news editor, to ask the presenter if his contract allowed him to breach the corporation’s impartiality rules.
Lineker then pointed out that because he did not work in news and current affairs he could say such things. Mr Henderson replied: ‘Does not our duty of impartiality apply across the BBC?’
He added afterwards: ‘The BBC lives or dies by its impartiality. If you can’t abide it, get off it.’
Mr Henderson, following discussions with BBC bosses, later issued an apology.
In August 2022, Lineker sparked a row with senior BBC journalist Neil Henderson (pictured) with a Tweet about sewage
Endorsing Just Stop Oil protests
A month earlier, Lineker found himself at odds with ex-racing driver turned Sky commentator Martin Brundle over his response to a Just Stop Oil protest.
Protesters stormed the British Grand Prix, sparking fury from Brundle, who said they could have been killed.
Lineker tweeted: ‘If it’s not already too late, history will look back very favourably on these people’.
But Brundle replied: ‘Gary please don’t encourage this reckless behaviour.
‘They’d have been sliced into 100 pieces and fans, marshals and drivers were wholly at risk of injury and death.
‘I totally support freedom of speech and opinion, but do it responsibly.’
Lineker found himself at odds with ex-racing driver turned Sky commentator Martin Brundle (pictured) over his response to a Just Stop Oil protest
Just Stop Oil climate change protesters during a track invasion at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone race track in 2022
Criticising Brexit
Lineker’s politically-charged outbursts on Twitter also drew criticism from a fellow BBC colleague.
Broadcaster Jonathan Agnew hit out at the BBC Sport host in 2018 over the former England football captain’s outspoken political views on Brexit.
The BBC cricket presenter claimed Lineker was breaching BBC impartiality – and that if he had shown such political views he would have ‘been sacked’.
He wrote: ‘Gary. You are the face of BBC Sport. Please observe BBC editorial guidelines and keep your political views, whatever they are and whatever the subject, to yourself. I’d be sacked if I followed your example. Thanks.’
The message on social media followed a series of tweets by Lineker in which he appeared to slam the Tories, who at the time were holding a no-confidence vote in former PM Theresa May.
‘Extraordinary to watch us take our country back and rip it to shreds in the process,’ he wrote in one tweet, before later retweeting David Cameron’s calls for the Conservatives to back Mrs May, which Lineker shared with crying-with-laughter emojis.
Broadcaster Jonathan Agnew (pictured) hit out at the BBC Sport host in 2018 over the former England football captain’s outspoken political views on Brexit
Lineker wrote a series of tweets in which he appeared to slam the Tories, who at the time were holding a no-confidence vote in former PM Theresa May. ‘Extraordinary to watch us take our country back and rip it to shreds in the process,’ he wrote in one tweet (pictured)
Presenting in his underwear
In 2016, Lineker kept his promise to wear nothing but his underwear during an episode of MOTD if his beloved Leicester City won the Premier League.
Lineker started the show wearing just what looked like large Leicester boxer shorts, with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer laughing in the background.
Despite the ridicule, he stuck to his guns and carried on wearing the pants on the programme, barely changing out of character.
Some viewers criticised Lineker for opting for the large boxers, which featured a Leicester City logo, instead of the expected pair of skimpy briefs.
Fifteen minutes before the show started on BBC One, Lineker tweeted ‘this is strangely terrifying’.
Fellow Match of the Day presenter Dan Walker also poked fun at the presenter: ‘4,000 sit ups a day for 20 seconds on telly. Well played Gary Lineker. Were they pants or shorts though?’
In 2016, Lineker kept his promise to wear nothing but his underwear during an episode of MOTD if his beloved Leicester City won the Premier League
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