Gary Lineker has revealed he has been offered a surprise new TV role ahead of his Match of the Day departure – and admitted some aspects of punditry ‘bore’ him.
Lineker, 64, will step down from the iconic BBC programme at the end of the season after 26 years in the role, having replaced anchor Des Lynam in 1999.
He will remain with the broadcasting giant to host FA Cup matches next campaign and will also front their 2026 World Cup coverage before retiring.
Three presenters – Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman – have already been announced as Lineker’s rotating successors, starting from August.
Lineker will continue to host his popular podcast The Rest Is Football but he has been inundated with other offers as he approaches the end of his stint with the Beeb.
Several pitches would have seen him hosting his own cooking show – a passion of his – but Lineker declined them, jokingly declaring he isn’t ‘Gordon f***ing Ramsay’.
Gary Lineker has revealed he has received a surprise job offer as he ponders his next move
Lineker will leave Match of the Day at the end of the season after a 26-year stint
He will remain with the BBC next season and continue his podcast – but offers are flooding in
‘I’d like to tell you I’m a very good cook. I’m pretty good,’ he told The Times.
‘I’ve been doing it for ten years now, and I’m obsessive. So if I do something and I realise I’m reasonably good at it, I’ll throw my heart and soul at it.
‘I’ve been offered to do cookery programmes, but I don’t want to, because while I’m a very keen cook and I think I’m a good cook, I’m not Gordon f***ing Ramsay.’
Lineker revealed in March that he had held talks with Sky on numerous occasions but snubbed them – and a bigger pay packet – because of his loyalty to the BBC.
Quizzed on Sky’s dominant coverage of the Premier League, Lineker admitted he did not watch one particular segment of their programmes, believing it is ‘boring’.
‘They can spend 20 minutes covering a corner,’ Lineker added. ‘It’s not for me. I switch on for the match. The build-up for matches, for me, is the most boring part.
‘You are guessing what is going to happen. Let’s have five minutes on who is not in the team. Give me half-time. That is what I love about live matches. Half-time.
‘We have a massive advantage [at the BBC]. We have no commercials. When I worked at BT Sport, during the Champions League if there are three goals in the first half you struggle to show them [because of the adverts]. You have not got time.’
The 64-year-old turned down Sky on several occasions despite being offered more money
Kelly Cates (left), Mark Chapman (centre) and Gabby Logan (right) will replace him on MOTD
Lineker is adamant Cates, Logan and Chapman will be worthy replacements when he leaves Match of the Day, but he has described the job as a ‘massive commitment’.
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Giving his verdict on the triple hiring, he told FourFourTwo: ‘That’s probably down to the fact it’s a massive commitment.
‘Those three have all got families, and if you’re saying someone is going to do it for the next ten or 20 years, then your weekends are gone.
‘That might be it, I don’t know. I didn’t get involved in any of that.
‘I take it as a compliment that they’ve named three, but I suspect it’s not due to that.
‘I haven’t seen them yet to speak to them, but I will do. They’ll be fine and they’ll do a great job. I’ve known them all for years, they’re top presenters.’
