Gary Lineker

Lore & Background

Lineker began his football career at Leicester City in 1978, and finished as the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984–85. He then moved to league champions Everton, where he won both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards in his debut season, before moving to Spanish club Barcelona, where he won the 1987–88 Copa del Rey and the 1989 European Cup Winners' Cup. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1989, and won his second FWA Footballer of the Year and the FA Cup, his only major trophy in English football. Lineker's final club was Nagoya Grampus Eight; he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.

Lineker made his England debut in 1984, earning 80 caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career, which made him England's second-highest goalscorer on his retirement. He remains England's fourth-highest scorer, behind Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton, and his goals-to-games ratio remains one of the best for the country. His six goals in the 1986 World Cup made him the tournament's top scorer, receiving the Golden Boot, and he came second in the 1986 Ballon d'Or. Lineker was again integral to England's progress to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, scoring another four goals.

Lineker never received a yellow or red card during his career, and he also never won a top-flight league title. He was honoured in 1990 with the FIFA Fair Play Award. In a senior career which spanned 16 years and 654 competitive games, Lineker scored a total of 331 goals, including 283 goals at club level. After his retirement from football he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. A keen supporter of Leicester City, he led a consortium in 2002 that invested in his old club, saving it from bankruptcy, and was appointed honorary vice-president.

Reader's Guide

Gary Lineker's significance rests on his exceptional goalscoring record and his unique achievement of being the top scorer in England's top division with three different clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. His international career was marked by winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup with six goals, and he remains England's fourth-highest all-time scorer. Notably, he never received a yellow or red card in his entire professional career, a testament to his sportsmanship, for which he received the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1990. After retiring, Lineker transitioned to a long and prominent media career, most notably presenting the BBC's Match of the Day from 1999 until 2025, the longest tenure of any presenter. He also co-founded the media company Goalhanger in 2018, which produces popular podcasts. His legacy includes his induction into the English Football Hall of Fame and his role in saving Leicester City from bankruptcy in 2002.

Did You Know?

• Lineker is the only player to have been the top goalscorer in England with three clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur.
• He never received a yellow or red card during his entire professional career.
• He was given his middle name Winston in honour of Winston Churchill, with whom he shares a birthday.
• Lineker led a consortium in 2002 that invested in his old club Leicester City, saving it from bankruptcy.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Football is a simple game, twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." — Gary Lineker "A quote from 1990 cited 28 years later by Finnis, Alex (2018-06-24). Gary Lineker has updated his most famous quote after Germany’s late win over Sweden. iNews." — Gary Lineker "After England were beaten by Germany in the semi-finals of the Italia '90 World Cup." — Gary Lineker "Playing for the MCC against a German XI in a cricket match on 27 August 2002 and scoring a single run before being dismissed." — Gary Lineker