Sport

Lineker reveals his favourite Match of the Day moment that left him in TEARS

Gary Lineker has revealed his favorite Match of the Day moment as he prepares to celebrate almost 26 years at the helm of the BBC's flagship football show.

Branded as a contract extension, the Beeb announced earlier this month that Lineker, 63, will continue to handle the broadcaster's coverage of the FA Cup and World Cup until 2026, while stepping down as host of Match of the season at the end of the season Day.

The BBC is now looking for a presenter to succeed Lineker, who first replaced Des Lynam on the iconic program in 1999.

Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC's sports director, may believe a new presenter could win over younger viewers, with Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott and Kelly Cates among the list.

Speaking to experts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on their podcast The Rest is Football, Lineker reflected on his time in the Match of the Day hot seat, discussing his favorite moment in the chair.

Responding to a fan who asked all three to choose 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.

'Claudio Ranieri came out with (Andrea) Bocelli, I got so emotional. I was just sitting in the office, it was a bit embarrassing, I just had tears running down my face. That was definitely my favorite moment.”

Shearer quizzed Lineker on whether the Foxes' 2021 FA Cup win surpassed it, but the Match of the Day host admitted nothing beats Leicester's 2016 Premier League title win.

“Yes, that was special too,” adds the avid Foxes fan. “They were two things I thought I would never experience in my life.”

Lineker also joked that hosting Match of the Day in his underwear, which happened at the start of the 2016/17 season after betting on Leicester to be caught in the Premier League title race the season before, was his worst moment.

Shearer chose an international match as his favorite Match of the Day moment – and it wasn't a match involving England.

The Newcastle and Blackburn legend chose Argentina's victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final, with Lionel Messi finally lifting the elusive trophy and Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick during the enthralling 3-3 draw.

“I think the World Cup is in Qatar with Messi,” Shearer said. 'That was an incredible final and that night was clearly made for him. It was one of the best games I've seen. The occasion was incredible.”

Richards, who chose a different path, admitted that no Match of the Day was as special as the very first time he sat in the pundit's chair on the show.

“I always think about your first Match of the Day,” he said. “I don't want to say 'easier' shows because broadcasting is never easy, but you get into shows that might not have the audience of Match of the Day… Football Focus, 5Live, Match of the Day 2, Final Scoring. Then you go to Match of the Day and it's almost like you have to prove to yourself that you should be there.”

Lineker jokingly interrupted, “You will one day, Micah…”

After bursting out laughing, Richards continued: “Just that first Match of the Day, the music – your heart starts beating.

'I train a little bit with a couple of guys, Matt Curtis and Rob Nothman, and all kinds of things like sitting up straight, where to put your hands, what camera to look at… I watched it back and I looked so stiff and nervous! It's ridiculous!

'Doing Match of the Day, such an iconic show, and live Super Sunday (on Sky Sports) was just amazing.'

Tags

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Close