Lineker: It is ‘right time’ to leave Match of the Day

Gary Lineker has said it is “the right time” for another presenter to take on hosting Match of the Day, as the BBC looks to do the football programme “slightly differently” in the future.

Earlier this week, Lineker announced he will step down from the show at the end of this season after 25 years as host.

A new four-year deal for the BBC to air Premier League highlights will begin next season.

“I feel this is now the right time,” Lineker said of his decision. “I think [with] the next [highlights] contract, they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”

After leaving Match of the Day, Lineker will stay with the BBC to front coverage of next season’s FA Cup and the 2026 men’s World Cup.

Speaking on his podcast The Rest Is Football, he said this week’s announcement was “basically news of an extra year contract” for him at the BBC.

“I always thought my next thing would be the end. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I’ve done Match of Day for 25 years. It’s been an absolute joy and a privilege to present such an iconic show for the BBC.

“But all things have to come to an end.”

The start of the new rights deal will provide an appropriate time to make a change on Match of the Day, he added.

“The [rights] cycle starts from next season, so it felt like if I just do one more year would a bit weird.

“So I think to get a different presenter in place would be probably wise not just for me, but certainly for the BBC as well.

“But I really wanted to finish on a major tournament [and] do the FA Cup as well. So you’ve not quite got rid of me just yet.”

Speaking to co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, he added that he will be 65 when his BBC work ends. “So it’s pension time.”

He thanked viewers for the messages he had received, and noted that “so many kind” articles had been published.

“It did feel like I’d died and I was seeing my obituaries early. But it’s nice. It’s been lovely. And everywhere I go, people are saying lovely things.

“It’s a bit like in football – Alan and myself, with England, you bowed out when you thought it was the right time, I bowed out of my football career when I felt it was the right time. And I feel this is now the right time.”

The former England striker joked: “During my football career, I felt I was born to be in the box. And then I had to really learn to be on the box. And to be honest, at my age, it won’t be long until I’m in a box.”

He said he would “probably get a little bit emotional towards the end” of his BBC career, but that he’s “quite calm at the moment”.

“It’s been a bit bonkers and a bit mad,” he continued. “But I didn’t think it would be quite the big deal that it was because it’s just a guy that’s done a TV show for a long time. It’s nothing more than that really.”

Lineker’s successor on Match of the Day has not been announced, and he said he would “never tell publicly my preference” to be the new host.

“But whoever it is, I would say, be yourself… Just be yourself and and enjoy it. It’s a wonderful programme to be part of.

“It was brilliant before I took over and it will be brilliant after I leave. So I would just say that, really – enjoy it, live it, and be yourself.”

Lineker said he was now looking forward to getting to bed earlier on a Saturday night.

“I’ll go out for dinner, and you know what? I might be in bed before midnight. I’ll still watch Match of the Day, but I’ll be in bed straight after it, rather than the three-hour journey home.

“So yeah, I look back and it’s been an amazing experience, and I feel incredibly fortunate.”