Gary Lineker speaks on decision to step away from Match of the Day after 25 years

Gary Lineker speaks on the latest Rest is Football episode about the decision to step away from Match of the Day after 25 years.

The 63 year old has said it is “the right time” for another presenter to take on hosting the show as the BBC looks to do the football programme “slightly differently” in the future.

Earlier this week, he announced he will be leaving the show at the end of the 2024/25 season and that a new four-year deal for the BBC to air Premier League highlights will begin next season.

🗣️ @GaryLineker: “It’s been a joy and a privilege.”

Why now is the right time for Gary to step away from MOTD ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PdR7NoQLWN

— The Rest Is Football (@RestIsFootball) November 15, 2024

Gary Lineker: Hello, and welcome to the rest of this football with Alan Shearer, Michael Richards, and me, Gary Lineker. We’re recording this, just after the England game with an emphatic victory over Greece, which has put, England back into prime position to get back amongst the big boys in the nation’s league.

Alan Shearer: Just before we go any further, Gaz. You need to tell us about what’s happened, what’s going on with match of the day. I mean, that’s it. You’re done, are you?

Gary: Yeah. But I did tell you.

Alan: I know that, but you’ve been you’ve been all you’ve been all over the newspapers everywhere for the last few days.

Gary: I woke up when the story broke on Tuesday morning, and I got out of bed, and I opened my curtains. It was like a scene from a movie. I went like that, and I saw about 20 paps outside in Brea and I went, oh, forgot. I forgot to close the close the curtains a bit sharpish. Thankfully, I haven’t got full length windows. So but, yeah, I think the thing to say is that it’s it’s basically news of a an extra year, contract. I’d I always thought my next thing would be mid day end. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I’ve done Match of the Day for 25 years. It’s been an absolute joy and a privilege to to present such an iconic show for the BBC. But all things have to come to an end. I’ll miss you, but I’ll still see you on the podcast, regularly. That’s that’s for sure. But, yeah, it felt like the right time. It came at a point really where the BBC and Match of the Day, they’ve got the rights for another 3 years, and that’s the cycle starts from next season. So it felt like if I just do one more year, it would a bit weird. So I think to get a different presenter in place, I think, would be probably wise on not just for me, but certainly for the BBC as well. But, I really wanted to finish on a major tournament.

Alan: Good.

Gary: And do the FA Cup as well. So you’re not quite got rid of me, just yet. Just yet.

Alan: Will we miss him

Micah: Oh, I’ll I’ll certainly miss him. And I ain’t giving him praise because I really do. I really do. But I would just like to thank you without being soppy, Gaz, for basically taking me under your wing, teaching me the the arts of broadcasting, having the faith in me, giving me the advice, trusting me, all these things. Because from from my point of view, yes, Premier League footballer won the Premier League, won the FA Cup, all them things. But to work with not just you, Gaz, but Alan as well. I’m working with 2 legends of the game, and it’s absolute privilege for me and for you to embrace me and take me in and be patient with me. I just I just think it’s…

Gary: Don’t make me cry, Micah. Don’t don’t make me cry.

Micah: No. But I I mean

Alan: F*cking hell! He’s not dying. You know? He hasn’t died.

Micah: That’s that’s how it feels, the sort of encouragement that you’ve give me, especially over the last 18 months, you know, on Match of the Day, and then we’re doing top 10 podcast, and then we’re doing our own podcast. Yeah. I can’t thank you enough, and it’s a sad day. You know, we laugh a joke that and says he’s, of course, he’s not passed away, but you’ve you’ve been in the game for 25 years at the highest level. It is a sad day, not just for us, Al, but for people who have watched you over the years because you are a great of broadcasting. So, yes, you’re not leaving yet. But in terms of Match of the Day, I just wanna thank you so much for everything you’ve done, not just for me, but for everyone, associated and who has watched you over the years.

Gary: It’s been a pleasure working with you.

Alan: Do you ever take a second and think, f*cking hell. I mean, you were an unbelievable player playing at the highest level for years years years. And now you’ve been an unbelievable presenter for years and years and years. I mean, you’ve you’ve been you’ve been at the top for, like, I mean, all basically, all your life, it’s been you’ve been unbelievable. Do you ever take a second to sit back and think, have I done alright here?

Gary: Oh, yeah. I often think, why me? I often think sometimes, you know, you know I’m not particularly religious, but I sometimes think maybe maybe there’s some planet far away where they’re playing like a PlayStation game. And whoever’s playing this is just a really good player because I’ve had a kind of blessed life and amazingly, you know, in football as well, something that, you know, we love. And and you too. You’ve had an incredible career on both on the pitch and and and in the studio as well. But, you know, I always felt, you know, during my football career, I felt I was born to be in the box, and then I had to really learn to be on the box. And to be honest, at my age, it won’t be long till I’m in a box. But, but, yeah, I did come to time. I’ll be, you know, when the time that I finished, I’ll be 65. So it’s pension time. But I just want to say thank you very much for those lovely words, both of you. But, I also want to thank I mean, there’s been so many so many kind pieces. There’s so many kind tweets or posts on Instagram and everywhere else. It did feel like I died, and I was seeing my obituaries early. But, you know, it’s nice. It’s been lovely. And everywhere I go, people are saying lovely things. So, you know, and it’s a bit like in football. I mean, Alan and myself, you know, Alan, with England, you bowed out when you thought it was the right time. I bowed out my football career when I felt it was the right time, and I feel this is now the right time. I think the next contract, they’re they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently. So I think it makes sense for someone else to to take the helm.

Micah: But how do you feel, Gaz, though? You know? I mean, it’s does it feel you know, when you retire from football and you sort of I don’t know, there’s sort of a not a sinking feeling, but it’s like, oh, what am I gonna do next? And I know you’ve still got the FA Cup, and I noticed that you got the World Cup. But what what does it actually feel like? What has this chaos been like over the last week or so?

Gary: I had a lot of chaos over the last couple of years in many ways and get sort of accustomed on first name terms with some of the people that stand outside my front door. And they keep saying, oh, come on. Say something, Gary. Say something, Gary. I said, ‘no’. And I say to them, it’s I said, ‘if I talk to you outside my front door, I’m encouraging you to go and lurk out someone else’s house when when any kind of news story breaks’. So I was never going to do that. But it’s well, obviously, I’m not finished yet either. So I’m still going. There’s still, till the end of May in terms of doing Match of the Day and then FA Cup and World Cup, to come. But, yeah, it surprised me the amount of love I’ve had, and that’s, you know, that’s been lovely because you know what it’s like in football, whether you’re playing or whether you’re a pundit or a presenter or whatever it is. There’s you always get some stick alongside alongside the eulogies. But, you know, and, obviously, there are the people that don’t like you and they’ll always not like you, but, you know, it’s a tiny minority, and, it’s been it’s been really lovely. So I probably get a little bit emotional towards the end, but I’m quite calm at the moment. But it’s been a bit bonkers and a bit mad, but, I didn’t think it would be quite the big deal that it was because it’s, you know, not just it’s just a guy that’s done a TV show for a long time. It’s not it’s not nothing more than more than that, really.

Alan: What are you gonna do at weekends?

Gary: I’ve never had Saturdays. Saturday’s free. I mean, we’ve had one we’ll have one obviously this week, but we get the odd one from the international break. But I think I’ll find something to do. I can go out to dinner all the Saturday night.

Micah: Be on Guinness all week.

Gary: Yeah. I’ll probably have 1 or 2 more Guinnesses myself. And I’ll go out for dinner. And do you know what? I might be in bed before midnight, just as much of the day. I’ll still watch much of the day, but I’ll be in bed straight after it rather than the 3 hour journey home. So, yeah, I look back, and it’s been it’s been an amazing experience, and I feel I feel incredibly fortunate.

Micah: Can I just ask you if you could give one piece of advice to the next presenter? And I don’t wanna go into speculation of who that might be, but just from when you started so long ago to now, what’s that piece of advice that you could give them to make sure that they’re confident, they’re comfortable, and, essentially could make a great show, you know?

Gary: Obviously, I don’t know who it would 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. I had I had to fill the ginormous shoes of a certain Des Lynam.

Micah: Exactly. That’s my point.

Gary: I think I was the only person in the country that was pleased that he left for ITV because I thought I might get the job. So, I would say, yeah, just be yourself, and and enjoy it. It’s a wonderful program to be to be part of. And it was brilliant before I took over over, and it will be brilliant after I leave. So, yeah, I would just say that, really. Enjoy it, live it, and be yourself.

Micah: Sorry to keep asking so much questions, but, I mean, what’s the the the scrutiny being like? I mean, it’s it’s one of those program that’s iconic. It’s an institution, isn’t it? And it gets millions of viewers, week in, week out. What what has that been like for you dealing with that? Has that been easy?

Gary: I quite enjoy that side of things. Obviously, I, you know, I’m quite driven as well. I’ve always been very ambitious, and I always want the show to be as popular as it possibly can. And it’s nice to leave it in really good shape. People’s viewing habits have changed slightly. A lot more people now will watch it on iPlayer, and, you know, the program is up there. Most often, it’s number 1 on the iPlayer charts after the weekend with around 2,000,000 viewers. We also get 2 million plus on the Saturday night and another million or so that watch it on a Sunday morning. So, you know, all in all, you’re looking at between overall 4, 5, 6,000,000, that will watch the show, and it’s been a huge success. It says, it’s the flagship BBC sports program, and it, hopefully, always will be. You always have the issues, of course, of rights and whether you can keep those, but, hopefully, it has a long future. Viewing habits in television are changing. We know that. It’s a lot more streaming, but the one thing that does survive and does really well is live sport, which is obviously what I want to continue to do for a season after this one. But and hopefully, the fact that it seemed so much on iPlayer, means that the program has adapted to the modern times, and I think that’s that’s been really important.

Favourites to become new Match of the Day presenter as BBC release statement on Gary Lineker

Here’s how fans reacted as Gary Lineker speaks on the decision to step away from Match of the Day after 25 years…

@mdavos18: Well said Micah 👌 And cheers Gaz, ‘86 was my first World Cup experience aged 8 and I bought my first footy shirt not longer after on a family holiday in Mallorca – Barcelona, “Lineker” – to wear as well as my Bradford kit. Keep the pod going, footy would be weird without you!

@MarkHarrison15: Great words by Micah. Sums it up beautifully!

@Adamski_08: Great words Micah. Will be immensely missed @GaryLineker – thank you!

@roblindsey76: Well said Micah. Bryan Robson and Gary absolute hero’s of mine. Me and wife were lucky enough to meet Gary when he was presenting The Open one year, he was rushing to the comms box but still took the time for a quick photo. He’s a Top man, great presenter and what a baller 👌🏻

@Matt_Francis: Calling it now, his final #motd sign off, they think it’s all over, it is now.

@yilli7: Thanks Gary! Been watching it for a long time. Take care and greetings from the netherlands⚽️❤️

@TobiasKuhn77: well at least this pod continues

@mckenzie_aidan: Big Meeks should take over. Love his genuine enthusiasm for the job when he presents.

@TheYOLOArtist: A huge thank you for everything @GaryLineker. An incredible host & the heart of @BBCMOTD for 25+years, a true legend. You Alan & Alan were always my 3 on MOTD & as the lineups have changed you’ve remained the constant. Wishing you all the best buddy. Hope you’re doing well 😊🙏🏻

@CraigFairlie: I started getting into football properly in 2004. (I’m 30 now) For all that time @GaryLineker has presented @BBCMOTD. He’s done it with class and brilliance. A fine presenter and a fine man. It’s the end of an era.