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Gary Lineker has shared his relief at the prospect of having the weekend to himself for the first time in his career, first as a professional footballer for England and, for the last 25 years, the host of the BBC’s flagship football highlights show Match of the Day.
Lineker will be leaving the host’s chair in a few months at the end of this football season and he told The Times of London newspaper:
“It’s the right time. I need to slow down a little bit and enjoy life. I mean, I still watch football all the time, I love it, but now I’ll have a weekend.
“I’ve never in my adult life had weekends. Ever. So I’m quite enjoying the thought of going out and having a bite on a Saturday night. And I might even go home and watch Match of the Day . . .”
Lineker isn’t stepping away from the BBC altogether, with his name already attached to some high-profile sporting events following his exit from Match of the Day, and his third professional chapter after football and TV presenting has already begun. He is the co-founder of Goalhanger Podcasts, the most successful independent podcast production company outside the US, with hit shows including The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics and his own show The Rest is Football.
Featuring Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, the football podcast has had 19.6million downloads and drew 66 million social media views during Euro 2024.
The BBC have named Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates to share hosting duties for Match of the Day after Lineker’s departure.
