Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker (born November 30, 1960, Leicester, England) is an English retired football (soccer) player and sports broadcaster. A prolific striker for both club and country, he is widely regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation. He played for the England national football team and for the clubs Leicester City, Everton, FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and Nagoya Grampus. He won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, scoring six goals, and finished his entire professional career without ever receiving a yellow or red card, a rare achievement (also read What are Yellow and Red Cards in Football?).

Early life

Gary Winston Lineker was born to Barry and Margaret Lineker in Leicester, England. His father owned a fruit and vegetable stall at Leicester Market, where Lineker occasionally helped. He attended Caldecote Community Primary School and City of Leicester Boys’ Grammar School. During this time, he showed exceptional talent for both football and cricket, later deciding to pursue a career in football. At age 16 he joined Leicester City football club’s youth team and turned professional in 1979.

Club career

Lineker made his professional debut for Leicester City in 1979 and quickly established himself as one of the club’s best players, scoring 103 goals in all competitions for the club and becoming the joint top scorer in the Football League First Division (the highest level of English club football before the creation of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1984–85 season. In 1985 he joined Everton, and in his only season with the club (1985–86), Lineker again finished as the League’s top scorer. In 1986 he joined Spanish club FC Barcelona, where he won the Copa del Rey (1988) and the European Cup Winners’ Cup (1989). In three seasons with the club he scored 58 goals across all competitions. In 1989 Lineker returned to England to join Tottenham Hotspur, helping the club win the FA Cup in 1991 and finishing as the League’s top scorer in the 1989–90 season. From 1992 to 1994 he played for Japanese football club Nagoya Grampus. He retired from professional football in 1994.

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International career

Lineker made his international debut for England in 1984 against Scotland. At the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he scored six goals, including a hat trick against Poland, to win the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer. His six goals were the most by an English player in a single World Cup until Jude Bellingham scored seven goals in the 2026 edition. England was eliminated in the quarterfinals in a 2–1 loss to Argentina, led by Diego Maradona. Lineker scored England’s only goal of the match.

Lineker scored four goals in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, helping England reach the semifinals before losing to West Germany in a penalty shootout. Lineker scored 10 goals for England in two World Cups, a national record until it was surpassed by Harry Kane at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He also represented England at the 1988 and 1992 European Championships. He scored 48 goals in 80 appearances for England.

Life after retirement

After retiring from professional football in 1994, Lineker began a career as a sports broadcaster with the BBC, becoming one of Britain’s best-known sports presenters. In 1999 he became the host of the BBC’s long-running TV program Match of the Day. For more than 30 years with the BBC he covered a wide variety of footballing competitions, including domestic, European, and international championships. In 2014 he cofounded Goalhanger, a podcast production company that produces such popular shows as The Rest is Football, which he cohosts with former England teammate Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

Lineker was also known for voicing his opinions on political and social issues, particularly the United Kingdom’s immigration and asylum policies. His public statements have occasionally sparked controversy, including a temporary suspension by the BBC in 2023 following his criticism of the U.K. government’s immigration policy. In 2025 Lineker left the BBC after more than 30 years with the broadcaster.

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