Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has confirmed he will step down from the long-running football show at the end of the season.
The former England striker, 63, will stop presenting for the BBC after fronting its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
He has not been offered a new contract by the BBC, according to The Sun newspaper.
Match Of The Day
Lineker has presented Match Of The Day for the BBC since 1999, having first appeared on the football round-up show as a pundit and has regularly topped the public list of the BBC’s highest earners while in the role.
This came after he agreed to a pay cut as part of a five-year contract in 2020, having previously been paid around £1.75 million a year.
Other presenting for the BBC
Lineker has led the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup and is due to continue until the final of the 2025/26 tournament.
He has also led the BBC’s coverage of major men’s international football tournaments, including Euro 2024, and has regularly presented the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year awards.
The BBC said on Tuesday that Lineker will continue to present hit podcast Match Of The Day: Top 10 for BBC Sounds.
He has previously worked for other TV broadcasters including BT Sports (since rebranded as TNT Sports), Al Jazeera Sports and NBC Sports Network.
The former Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham player is also the face of Walkers crisps.
Lineker has appeared in Walkers adverts since 1995 after originally signing a £200,000 contract with the Leicester-based company.
He signed a £1.2 million contract with Walkers in 2020, which meant he appeared in fewer adverts but increased ambassadorial responsibilities, including for grassroots sports and plastic consumption.
Goalhanger Podcasts
In recent years, the presenter has seen his focus shift more towards his fast-growing podcast and media operation.
Lineker set up production business Goalhanger Podcasts in 2014 with former ITV controller Tony Pastor and former BBC executive Jack Davenport.
The company started by producing documentaries, such as Gary Lineker On The Road To FA Cup Glory for the BBC in 2015.
But the business found particular success through its podcast division, which launched in 2019.
It produces The Rest Is History, a historical podcast presented by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, launched in 2020.
Brilliant two live streams from @RestIsPolitics – more than 1.8million people tuned in to watch @dcsandbrook, @MarinaHyde, @scaramucci, @campbellclaret, and @rorystewartuk. Thanks to @spotify for hosting us in NYC. Well played, to everyone at @GoalhangerPods for a great night.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 6, 2024
The podcast has since become one of the UK’s most successful and has resulted in a number of offshoots, including the Rest Is Politics.
Lineker presents his own podcast, The Rest Is Football, alongside fellow former players Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
Goalhanger has said it is the UK’s largest independent podcast production company and generates tens of millions of listens globally each month.
It is understood its podcasts have a revenue-sharing model where hosts on its main titles, such as the Rest Is History, do not receive a salary but each get a third of their episode’s revenue, with Goalhanger taking the other third.
There is limited public information about the firm’s finances but recent Companies House accounts for Goalhanger showed it held £590,985 in capital and reserves at the end of the financial year to May 2023 with seven employees.
Property
Companies House also shows Lineker is a director of GCGL Properties Limited.
Micro company accounts for the property business show it held £694,959 of current assets for the financial year to June 2023.
GCGL, which he owns alongside friend George Constand, purchased a bungalow in Coulsdon, south London last year, and has since sought planning permission to replace the property with a block of nine flats.
Lineker owns a house in Barnes, in south west London, which is reported to be worth around £4 million.
Tax affairs
Lineker has faced scrutiny over his tax affairs following a long-running case with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customers (HMRC).
The TV host was told he should have been classed as an employee of the BBC and BT Sport for his presenting duties rather than a freelancer.
The tax authorities pursued him for £4.9 million which it claimed should have been paid on income he received between 2013 and 2018.
But Lineker won the battle after insisting all taxes on the income were paid via a partnership set up in 2012 with his ex-wife Danielle Bux.
