Gary Lineker has revealed his favorite Match of the Day moment as he prepares to end his almost 26 years at the helm of the BBC’s flagship football programme.
Billed as a contract extension, the Beeb announced earlier this month that Lineker, 63, will continue to present the broadcaster’s coverage of the FA Cup and World Cup until 2026, while he will step down as a Match presenter. of the Day at the end of the season.
The BBC is now in the process of searching for a presenter to succeed Lineker, who first replaced Des Lynam on the iconic show in 1999.
BBC sports director Alex Kay-Jelski is said to believe a new presenter could help win over younger viewers, with Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott and Kelly Cates among those in the frame.
Speaking to experts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on their podcast The rest is football.Lineker reflected on his time on the Match of the Day bench, talking about his favorite moment in the chair.
Responding to a fan who asked the three to pick their favorite memories from the show, the former Leicester, Tottenham and Barcelona star said: “My favorite was when Leicester received the Premier League trophy on the last day of the season.
Gary Lineker has revealed his favorite Match of the Day moment after stepping down as host
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‘Claudio Ranieri came out with (Andrea) Bocelli, I was very excited. I sat in the office, it was a bit embarrassing, just tears were running down my cheeks. “That was definitely my favorite moment.”
Shearer asked Lineker if the Foxes won the FA Cup in 2021 and surpassed it, but the Match of the Day presenter admitted that nothing beats Leicester’s Premier League title in 2016.
“Yeah, that was special too,” the avid Foxes fan added. “They were two things I never thought I would witness in my life.”
Lineker also joked that hosting Match of the Day in his underwear, which occurred at the start of the 2016-17 campaign after betting that Leicester would be trapped in the Premier League title race the previous season, was his worst moment. .
Shearer chose an international match as his favorite Match of the Day moment, and it was not a match in which England were involved.
The Newcastle and Blackburn legend picked Argentina’s penalty shootout victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final, which saw Lionel Messi finally lift the elusive trophy and Kylian Mbappé score a hat-trick during the enthralling tie 3-3.
“I think the World Cup in Qatar with Messi,” Shearer said. “That was an incredible final and it was obviously made for him that night. It was one of the best games I’ve ever seen. The occasion was incredible.”
Choosing a different path, Richards admitted that no Match of the Day has been as special as the first time he sat in the show’s pundit chair.
Alan Shearer (left) and Micah Richards (right) also shared their best moments from Match of the Day.
Shearer chose Lionel Messi’s World Cup victory with Argentina in 2022 as his favorite memory
Lineker hosted Match of the Day in his underwear at the start of the 2016-17 campaign, promising to do so if Leicester managed to win the Premier League title the previous season.
“I always think about the first game of the day,” he said. ‘I don’t want to say “easier” shows because broadcasting is never easy, but you start on shows that maybe don’t have the Match of the Day audience… Football Focus, 5Live, Match of the Day 2, Final Score. Then you go to Match of the Day and it’s almost like you have to prove to yourself that you should be there.”
Jokingly, Lineker interrupted: ‘One day you will, Micah…’
After bursting into laughter, Richards continued: “Just in that first game of the day, the music – your heart starts beating.
“I went in a little bit with a couple of guys, Matt Curtis and Rob Nothman, and all the stuff like sitting up straight, where to put your hands, what camera to look at… I looked at him again and he looked so stiff and nervous! It’s ridiculous !
“Doing Match of the Day, such an iconic show, and Super Sunday live (on Sky Sports) has been just incredible.”