It will be the end of an era at the end of the Premier League season when Gary Lineker steps down as host of Match of the Day. The former England striker has worked on the iconic highlights show since 1999, but it was announced in November that he would be scaling back his duties with the broadcaster.
Tonight, BBC 2 is showing a sit-down interview with the 64-year-old and Amol Rajan. He’s expected to open up on his imminent MOTD departure, and the controversy temporarily being taken off the air in March 2023. Regardless, he’s set to remain in the public eye, with the Tottenham icon enjoying many other business interests.
Express Sport brings you the lowdown on his financial situation….
A huge net worth
Lineker won’t need to shoot to the job centre when he does step down from fronting MOTD and the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup and international tournaments. He reportedly boasts massive net worth of £30million.
BBC salary
A large chunk of Lineker’s net worth can be attributed to his pay from the BBC. In its latest annual report from July, the company revealed Lineker still earns more than £1.35m a year.
That’s despite agreeing to a pay cut as part of a new five-year contract in 2020. He’d previously been paid around £1.75m a year, comfortably making him the Beeb’s top earner.
Business interests
Lineker has previously worked for TNT Sports, Al Jazeera Sports, and the NBC Sports Network. However, there appears to be little chance of him staying in presenting by returning to occasional appearances on those channels.
Instead, he has other financial avenues to concentrate on. Lineker has long been the face of Walkers crisps, appearing in adverts since 1995. Five years ago, he penned a deal worth £1.2m with the company, agreeing to cut down on adverts but increase his ambassadorial work and get involved in company campaigns.
The ex-Barcelona man was also ahead of the game when it came to podcasts. He set up Goalhanger Podcasts in 2014 with former ITV controller Tony Pastor and former BBC executive Jack Davenport, and the company has since produced documentaries and online content.
It produces The Rest Is History, a historical podcast presented by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. Lineker also presents his own podcast through the company, The Rest Is Football, alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
He’s not done there. Lineker founded GCGL Properties Ltd in 2020 with his friend George Constand.
Martial status
Despite his career income, Lineker has endured two costly divorces. He married Michelle Cockayne in 1986, with the couple having four sons. However, in May 2006, Cockayne filed for divorce on the grounds of Lineker’s alleged “unreasonable behaviour.”
He then married Danielle Bux in Italy in 2009. In early 2016, Lineker and Bux announced they were divorcing, with his reluctance to have more children cited as the reason.
Millionaire mansion
Lineker is based Barnes, an area close to Richmind in London. His urban mansion is reportedly worth around £4million and has been decked out with a cinema room, chic living spaces and a tree-lined garden packed with greenery.
