Gary Lineker suffered a slip of the tongue while reflecting on his departure from the BBC, joking that life after Match of the Day has brought him “more awards than ever” and that he "should have left 10 years ago' during a light-hearted moment on his hit podcast.
The 64-year-old presenter walked away from the Beeb in May after a 26-year run as the face of MOTD.
But while he may no longer occupy the iconic Saturday night seat, Lineker has hardly disappeared from the airwaves.
Instead, he has poured his energy into The Rest is Football, the chart-topping podcast he fronts with fellow BBC favourites Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
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The trio recently scooped Podcast of the Year at the Broadcast Sports Awards, and Lineker could not resist celebrating the show’s growing success on the latest episode.
Delighted at being able to call it an “award-winning podcast”, the former England captain then made a mischievous quip about his broadcasting U-turn.
“Since I quit the BBC… or since I finished with the BBC is probably a better way of describing it, I’ve won more awards than in my life!” he said, laughing. “I should have left 10 years ago!”
Gary Lineker suffered a slip of the tongue while reflecting on his departure from the BBC, joking that life after Match of the Day has brought him “more awards than ever” and that he "should have left 10 years ago' during a light-hearted moment on his hit podcast
|RESTISFOOTBALL
Shearer, 55, erupted into laughter before firing back: “They should have kicked you off 10 years ago, you would have won so many awards!”
Lineker replied: “Exactly, it’s nuts!”
Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day was first revealed last November, with the 2024–25 campaign originally intended to be his final year before a farewell at the 2026 World Cup.
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Gary Lineker has won multiple awards since leaving the BBC
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That plan was later shelved following a row over his use of social media, accelerating his exit from the corporation.
Despite leaving the BBC, the former striker is far from done with frontline broadcasting.
Reports last week claimed Netflix has struck a deal to host The Rest is Football throughout next summer, ensuring the podcast has a permanent home ahead of the World Cup.
The show first aired on BBC Sounds, but was removed after Lineker’s departure and now streams across YouTube and major podcast platforms.
A Netflix move would elevate it further, as streaming giants increasingly expand into sports content.
Gary Lineker was removed from his post at the BBC earlier this year
| PALineker had been the BBC’s highest-paid star on £1.35 million per year.
Since his exit, Match of the Day has turned to a rotating cast of Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman to anchor the programme.
As for next summer's World Cup, England qualified with eight wins from eight.
They beat Albania 2-0 on Sunday, with Harry Kane bagging a brilliant brace to secure all three points.