When did Gary Lineker start Match of the Day and who presented it before him?

Gary Lineker’s long reign as Match of the Day presenter will draw to a close when he steps down from the BBC show at the end of the current football season.

The 63 year-old will continue to front the broadcaster’s coverage of the FA Cup in 2025/26, with Lineker’s BBC swansong coming in the 2026 World Cup which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Lineker’s departure ends one of the longest-running associations on British TV, with the presenter now synonymous with the iconic football highlights show.

Indeed, for a generation of football fans, Lineker is now known as the guy off the telly – rather than for his exploits on the pitch which has seen him regarded as one of the finest players of his time.

When did Gary Lineker start presenting Match of the Day?

Lineker retired as a professional footballer in 1994 following his two-year spell at Japanese side Nagoya Grampus.

He then embarked on a career in the media, initially with BBC Radio 5 Live, along with other football punditry work.

Lineker’s first venture on Match of the Day was as an analyst, before stepping up to become the main presenter in 1999.

And Lineker has remained as the host of the show ever since, with his 25-year reign making him the longest presenter in Match of the Day’s history.

But Lineker’s stay on Match of the Day hasn’t been without controversy, with the most notable flashpoint coming in March 2023 when he was required to step back from presenting on the BBC following his criticism of the government’s immigration policy.

The outrage towards the BBC’s decision led to Lineker’s colleagues on the show walking out en masse in solidarity, resulting in arguably the strangest programme in Match of the Day history when it aired with no presenter, no pundits and no commentators.

Who hosted Match of the Day before Gary Lineker?

Lineker replaced Des Lynam as presenter of Match of the Day, with Lynam having presented the show for 11 years before deciding to join ITV instead in order to present their live football coverage.

Lineker is the fifth permanent presenter to have hosted the programme since it began in the 1960s, following on in the footsteps of Kenneth Wolstenholme, David Coleman, Jimmy Hill and Lynam.

The likes of Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Dan Walker have all stood in for Lineker as presenter over the years.

Match of the Day is one of the BBC’s longest running shows, with the Guinness World Records recognising it ‘as the longest-running football television programme in the world’ in 2015.

What other shows has Gary Lineker presented?

Lineker’s early media career saw him become a team captain on sports comedy show, They Think It’s All Over, from 1995 to 2003.

Following Steve Rider’s departure as host of the BBC’s golf output in 2005, Lineker was appointed as his successor and went on to host the BBC’s coverage of the Masters and The Open.

Lineker’s contract with the BBC has seen him in the hot seat for the corporation’s World Cup, European Championship and FA Cup coverage, whilst he has also presented at the London Olympics in 2012 and the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.

Aside from his work with the BBC, Lineker has presented shows on Al Jazeera Sports, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports Network and La Liga TV.

He also fronted BT Sport’s coverage of the Champions League between 2015 and 2021.

How much does Gary Lineker earn at the BBC?

Lineker earnt £1.35million for his presenting roles on the BBC in the 2023/24 financial year, once again topping the list of the best-paid stars at the corporation.

The former striker agreed to a £400,000 pay cut in 2020, as well as reaching an agreement to be more careful with his use of social media to push his political causes.

Lineker is also the co-founder of Goalhanger Podcasts, which is home to popular shows such as The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Entertainment.

The company has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent podcast firms and, in September, said its shows had been downloaded more than 380 million times in 2024.

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below