Gary Lineker is a former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster who is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. He began his football career at Leicester City in 1978 and finished as the First Division’s joint top goalscorer in 1984-1985. He holds England’s record for goals in the FIFA World Cup finals, with 10 scored. He made his England debut in 1984, earning 80 caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career, and is England’s third-highest scorer. He was a top scorer in the 1986 World Cup and received the Golden Boot as well.
After his retirement from football, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. His media career began with the BBC, where he has presented the flagship football program Match of the Day since the late 1990s. Moreover, he has also worked for Al Jazeera Sports, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports Network, and BT Sport’s coverage of the UEFA Champions League.
What is Gary Lineker Known For?
- Gary Lineker is a former professional soccer player and a sports broadcaster.
- Gary was known for his clinical finishing abilities as a potent striker for England at the international level and teams like Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur at the club level.
When was Gary Lineker born?
Gary Lineker was born on 30th November 1960. He is from Leicester, England and he holds British nationality. His ethnicity is British-White. His full name is Gary Winston Lineker. His middle name came from Winston Churchill, with whom he shares his birthday. About his parents, he is the son of Margaret P. (Abbs) (mother) and Barry Lineker (father). He grew up with his sibling, a brother, Wayne, who is two years younger than him. He spent his early life playing football with his brother. He celebrated his 62nd birthday in 2022. As per his birthdate on 30th November, Gary’s zodiac sign is Scorpio. He is a follower of Christianity religion.
Everything To Know About Wayne Lineker
About his education, Gary attended Caldecote Road School. Next, he went to the City of Leicester Boys’ Grammar School (now the City of Leicester College). He left school with four O Levels. One of his teachers wrote on his report card that he “concentrates too much on football” and that he would “never make a living at that”.
Gary Lineker Career Timeline
Leicester City
- Gary Lineker started his career at his hometown club Leicester City in 1977. He turned pro in the 1978-1979 season where he made his senior debut on New Year’s Day 1979 in a 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic in the Second Division at Filbert Street. He earned a Second Division title medal a year later with 19 appearances.
- Lineker then became a regular player in 1981-1982, scoring 19 goals in all competitions that season. He was the division’s second-highest scorer with 22 goals in the 1983-1984 season. He was the First Division’s joint top scorer in 1984-1985 with 24 goals.
Everton
- In 1985, Everton signed him for the fee of £800,000. He scored 40 goals in 57 games for his new team in the 1985-1986 season.
- He scored three hat-tricks for Everton; at home to Birmingham City in a 4-1 league win on 31st August 1985. He won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Barcelona
- Barcelona then signed Lineker for £2.8 million. He made his Barcelona debut against Racing Santander, scoring twice. Barcelona went on to win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1989. He played in Barcelona’s shock home and away defeats to Dundee United.
- With 42 goals in 103 La Liga appearances, he became the highest-scoring British player in the competition’s history but was later surpassed by Gareth Bale in March 2016.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Next, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July 1989 for £1.1 million. He scored 67 goals in 105 league games in his three seasons and he also won the FA Cup while playing for the club.
- He finished as the top scorer in the First Division in the 1989-1990 season, scoring 24 goals as Spurs finished third. He collected an English trophy when he won the 1991 FA Cup Final with Spurs against Nottingham Forest with a score of 2-1.
- He was the top division’s second-highest goalscorer in 1991-1992 with 28 goals from 35 games.
Nagoya Grampus Eight
- Gary then accepted an offer of a two-year contract from J1 League club Nagoya Grampus Eight in November 1991. He announced his retirement from playing in September 1994 after having 9 goals in 23 appearances over two injuries-impacted seasons for Nagoya Grampus Eight. Moreover, Gary scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals after a string of draws and narrow victories in the 1990 World Cup.
- He retired from international football with eighty caps and forty-eight goals.
Media Career
- Following his retirement, Gary developed a career in the media on BBC Radio 5 Live. After that, he became BBC’s anchorman for football coverage, including their flagship football television program Match of the Day, and as a team captain on the sports game show, They Think It’s All Over from 1995 to 2003. He also presented Grandstand in the London studio.
- After that, he appeared in the 1991 play An Evening with Gary Lineker by Arthur Smith and Chris England. In addition, he presented a six-part TV series for the BBC in 1998 called Golden Boots.
- He appeared on the TV show Brass Eye in 2001. He also had a cameo appearance in the film Bend It Like Beckham in 2002. He was sued for defamation by Australian footballer Harry Kewell in 2005.
- He had made writing in his column in The Sunday Telegraph. He then took on an acting role as the voice of Underground Ernie in 2006.
- He appeared on the ITV1 television program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in December 2008. He resigned from his role as a columnist for The Mail on Sunday in May 2010.
- He began working for NBCSN as part of their Premier League coverage and contributing to the US version of Match of the Day in 2013. He was unveiled as the lead presenter of BT Sport’s Champions League coverage on 9th June 2015.
- He presented the first Match of the Day of the 2016-2017 season wearing only boxer shorts on 13th August 2016.
- In July 2018, he announced his support for People’s Vote, a campaign group calling for a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union. He has appeared in a number of adverts for the Leicester-based snack company Walkers.
- On 18 October 2016, he tweeted a rebuttal to a statement made by MP David Davies where Davies suggested refugees entering the UK should undergo dental checks to verify their age: “The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. What’s happening to our country?” This led The Sun to call for Lineker’s sacking from Match of the Day, claiming that he had breached BBC impartiality guidelines.
- Lineker is a freelance presenter whose BBC appearances do not concern politics, so in 2018 he was exempt from the corporation’s rules regarding impartiality on social media. In 2022, a complaint about a tweet from Lineker that referred to donations to the Conservative Party was upheld by the BBC, on the grounds that it breached social media use guidelines and failed to meet editorial standards of impartiality.
Goalhanger Films
- Gary established his own production company Goalhanger Films Ltd in May 2014 with former ITV Controller Tony Pastor. He presented several short videos produced by Goalhanger Films on YouTube with the title Blahzil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
- The company produced a 60-minute-long documentary presented by Lineker titled Gary Lineker on the Road to FA Cup Glory for the BBC in May 2015.
Awards and Achievements
Leicester City
- Football League Second Division: 1979–80
Everton
Barcelona
- European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1988–89
- Copa del Rey: 1987–88
Tottenham Hotspur
- FA Cup: 1990–91
- FA Charity Shield: 1991 (shared)
England
- FIFA World Cup fourth place: 1990
Individual
- English Second Division top scorer: 1982–83
- English First Division top scorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 1985–86
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985–86, 1991–92
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1986
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
- Onze de Bronze: 1986
- Ballon d’Or runner-up: 1986
- FIFA Fair Play Award: 1990
- FWA Tribute Award: 1997
- FIFA World Player of the Year bronze award: 1991
- FIFA 100
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
- PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007
How Rich is Gary Lineker?
Gary Lineker is a soccer player and a sports broadcaster whose net worth is estimated to have $35 million as of 2023. His main source of wealth comes from a broadcasting career and he is living a lavish lifestyle right now. He has successfully managed to make this fortune through his football career as well as his media career. He is making an annual salary of around $2 million from his professional career. His personal assets include a luxurious home and a superior car. Right now, he lives a lavish and luxurious lifestyle.
Who is Gary Lineker Wife?
Gary Lineker is a married and divorced man. Gary is currently single and he is not dating anyone at present. He is living and enjoying his single life happily without any disturbances. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay.
Firstly, Gary married Michelle Cockayne in 1986. Their marriage produces four sons, George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus. In the early 1990s, George, his eldest son, survived a rare form of leukemia whilst he was a baby, treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. In May 2006, Michelle filed for divorce on the grounds of Gary’s alleged “unreasonable behavior,” with documents submitted to the court claiming that Lineker’s actions in their marriage had caused her “stress and anxiety.” After his divorce from Michelle, he married his second wife, Danielle Bux (model and actress) on 2 September 2009, in Ravello, Italy. They had dated for almost a year after getting together in September 2007. The couple got divorced in 2016. The reason was given being Gary not wanting more children.
How tall is Gary Lineker?
The 62-year-old, Gary Lineker still looks handsome with an athletic body type. He has got a tall height of 5 feet 9 inches with a balanced well-maintained bodyweight which consists of 74 Kg. He has a glowing face with a charming smile on his face which has helped him to gain the attention of all the viewers. His hair color is grey and his eye color is dark brown. His hair type is straight whereas his hair length is short. He has an affable smile with a trimmed beard and mustache. Overall, he has got a healthy body.
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