Gary Lineker‘s final Match of the Day ended with a seven-minute tribute video which charted his journey from professional football to esteemed broadcaster.
Lineker confirmed his departure from the BBC on Monday and ‘apologised unreservedly’ for sharing a social media post about Zionism with a rat emoji – a derogatory term used by Nazi Germany about Jewish people.
He will no longer front the BBC’s World Cup 2026 coverage in America, Mexico and Canada – and brought the curtain down on 26 years of hosting Match of the Day on Sunday, the final day of the Premier League season.
Lineker was joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on the broadcast with fans eager to see how his farewell would be managed.
The 64-year-old only briefly acknowledged his exit at the stat of the show, joking that it wasn’t meant to end this way.
And it was a fairly normal episode until highlights of all 10 games had been aired and analysed.
And then Shearer told Lineker it was time for him to take a back seat and time for them to say a ‘proper goodbye’.
A long and touching video package then played which showed moments from Lineker’s career through the years accompanied by touching words from his colleagues, players, friends and family.
‘When you think Match of the Day, you think Gary Lineker,’ Richards’ voice was heard saying over the top.
Shearer then stressed Lineker’s passion for the role, saying ‘he loves it and it means the world to him.’
The focus at the start was on Lineker’s success on the pitch with Leicester, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and of course England.
The likes of Shearer, Alan Smith, Alan Hansen, Ian Wright and Paul Gascoigne had praise for his ability, especially when it came to putting the ball in the back of the net.
Hansen then spoke of how Lineker knew he wanted to be a presenter rather than a pundit from the moment he hung up his boots, labelling it a ‘seamless journey’.
Lineker replaced Des Lyman in 1999 and Shearer credited his friend for taking to the role with ‘ease’.
Richards then admitted he was a ‘little bit in awe’ and ‘star-struck’ when he first started working with Lineker.
Earlier in the day, Shearer shared a photo of himself and Lineker during their England days and another of them together on Sunday.
Funny and memorable moments continued to be shown, notably when Lineker presented the show in his underwear after Leicester’s Premier league title triumph.
Each of his four sons then appeared, labelling him a ‘really fun dad’ and an incredible human being’ while stressing how ‘proud’ they are of him for everything he’s done.
‘What does Gary Lineker mean to me?’ Wright was then seen saying. ‘Somebody I admire, somebody that has helped me so much in the punditry game. I was very fortunate to do punditry alongside him and now I can call him my friend. I just wish you all the best because i love you. Take it easy G force.’
Gascoigne then joked: ‘Saturday night you’re free now! I’ll send you to Turkey to get sorted out. Get you some Botox and me and you can go galivanting as I know a lot of rehabs to go to afterwards. Match of the Day is going to be a big loss without the Links.’
Virgil van Dijk was next to offer up praise, calling Lineker a ‘legend’ before Man city boss Pep Guardiola said he ‘will be missed’.
Former Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri then told the Foxes fan ‘well done’ and said they will always have 2016 as a ‘wonderful memory’.
The video came to a close with Shearer hailing his ‘great friend’ while Hansen reflected on all the ‘good laughs’ they had over the years.
Earlier in the day, Shearer posted a picture of himself and Lineker, writing: ‘from then to now @garylineker!!! It has been an honour to share the MOTD studio with you.
‘THANK YOU for everything over the years. You are an outstanding broadcaster and manage to make a difficult job look easy.
‘You’re a great friend and we will miss you here on the studio floor. Thank you.’
Lineker will leave without a pay-off from his £1.4million salary while he and Shearer will continue to work together on the hugely popular The Rest is Football podcast.
Lineker has presented Match of the Day since 1999 with his 25-year reign making him the longest presenter in Match of the Day’s history.
