Lineker’s emotional farewell to Match of the Day

After 26 years in the hot seat, Gary Lineker officially quit the BBC and cried as he canceled his final season of Match of the Day.

The host made the announcement in November that he would leave the football program when the Premier League campaign came to an end on Sunday.

He had planned to continue working for the BBC to oversee men’s FA Cup and World Cup coverage, but he has since left the organization completely after apologizing for making an antisemitic social media post.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards presented Lineker with a commemorative cap and golden boot at the end of the program.

“Match of the Day has been a truly wonderful experience for a quarter of a century. He expressed his gratitude to the entire production team, saying “it’s been utterly joyous”.

He continued, “And my final thanks goes to all of you,” speaking directly to the camera from his home.

Thank you for your continued love and support over the years.

The former England international became the BBC’s highest-paid presenter after Des Lynam was replaced as its main presenter in 1999.

However, he made headlines on social media for expressing his views on issues beyond football.

He was suspended in 2023 for a post about the then-government’s asylum policy, and numerous other BBC Sport presenters and pundits joined him in support.

Lineker received criticism earlier this month for posting a depiction of a rat, a term that has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, in a social media post about Zionism.

Lineker apologized, saying he had not seen the photo and “would never purposefully repost anything antisemitic.”

However, it was later revealed that he would depart from the BBC earlier than anticipated and that his final broadcast would be on Sunday.

Lineker claimed that football was “at the center of my life” and that he was deeply committed to the game and his BBC work at the time, but he also acknowledged the “error and upset that I caused.”

He claimed that “taking a step back now feels like the responsible course of action.”

In the final episode of Lineker’s role on Sunday, he spoke with Arne Slot, manager of Liverpool, as they won the Premier League trophy.

Slot thanked you for being a fantastic BBC presenter when I spent many years there and still do today.

Lineker’s goals were a montage of the former Everton and Spurs striker’s goals, and the program then turned to highlights from his time as the manager of Match of the Day.

He famously performed a segment after his boyhood team won the 2016 Premier League while only wearing his Leicester City boxer shorts, as he had promised.

At the conclusion, Lineker’s sons Andrea Bocelli, his long-time friends Shearer and Richards, and his long-time friends Shearer and Richards paid tribute, introducing a montage that included those of Alan Hansen, Ian Wright, Paul Gascgoine, Johan Cruyff, and the late Andrea Bocelli.

Pep Guardiola’s words, “You don’t believe it, but you will be missed,” were exchanged by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in the same VT, and Virgil Van Dijk, the skipper of Liverpool, called the departing host “a legend.”

Shearer thanked her for being “you’ve been fantastic to me and unbelievable to Match of the Day.” So, whatever you do on Saturday, good luck and miss you, too.

Starting with the 2025-26 season, it was made known that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan would take over the Match of the Day presenting duties in January.

Lineker wished Gabby, Mark, and Kelly the best of luck as they sat in this chair.