LONDON: Gary Lineker will step down as host of Match Of The Day at the end of the season. The 63-year-old has been anchoring the flagship football show since 1999 but will quit the role in May.

The former England striker could still turn up later on BBC screens during the 2026 World Cup finals in North America.

He has been the face of the BBC’s football live broadcasts for more than two decades but there had been speculation he was considering his future. Lineker, who held discussions over a new deal in October, is the BBC’s highest-paid employee earning more than £1.3million a year.

Lineker has made headlines of his won with his political comments on social media. In March 2023 colleagues went on strike after the ex-Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham forward was suspended for breaching impartiality guidelines in comments he made on X, formerly Twitter.

Simultaneously Lineker has become a podcast guru by hosting the popular Rest Is Football show, which has topped countless sports listener charts. He also hosts the annual BBC Sports Personality Of The Year awards in December.

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