Gary Lineker’s best and worst MOTD moments after the incident that made him cry | Football | Sport

Gary Lineker has revealed his most memorable and embarrassing moments during his time on Match of the Day. The Spurs and England icon, who is set to hang up his boots for the BBC after this season, will still lead 2026 World Cup coverage but is stepping away from the Premier League coverage.

Lineker has seen plenty of great football drama since taking over in 1999, but it is his beloved Leicester City that has brought him both high and low scores on the programme. His least favorite episode, often remembered by fans with a mixture of amusement and horror, featured a rather sparse presentation.

On The Rest Is Football podcast, when Lineker was asked about his main memory of the match of the day, he didn’t hesitate: “You know what kind of match it was when Leicester won the league.”

Micah Richards asked him if he liked the infamous broadcast where he was wearing only Leicester-style underwear, to which he admitted: “No, not that one, that was my least favorite.”

It comes after Lineker’s reckless bet for the 2015/16 season, when he vowed in December 2015 to run a program in his boxers if Leicester, then 5,000/1 outsiders, won the Premier League title, reports the Mirror.

The Foxes’ victory is often described as the most astonishing upset in English football history. The presenter expressed his reluctance to undress, but the delight from these moments remained indelible.

He shared: “My favorite moment was when Leicester lifted the Premier League trophy on the last day of the season. When Claudio Ranieri walked out with (Andrea) Bocelli.”

“I was so excited. I sat in the office with tears streaming down my cheeks. That was definitely my favorite moment.”

During the discussion, Shearer asked whether Leicester’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea in 2021 was among his fondest memories. Brendan Rodgers’ side, considered underdogs, lined up against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

Youri Tielemans’ superb long-range strike secured the trophy under the Wembley arch in an iconic match that also featured former Fox player Ben Chilwell for Chelsea, but was ultimately disallowed for a minor offside after a VAR check .

Recalling the match, Lineker remarked: “It was a special match. But I think we’re talking about the Match of the Day itself, but I think the FA Cup final is the Match of the Day in that sense. Yes, these two. These are two things I thought I would never see in my life. They were my special ones.”