An explicit social media post has given BBC viewers a taste of what they’ll be missing when Gary Lineker leaves Match of the Day.
The ex-Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur forward announced last year that he would bow out after the 2024/25 Premier League season, leaving a void in the football highlights programme. Lineker’s insightful views, coupled with his charisma and sharp humour, have endeared him to football enthusiasts across the UK.
His playful rapport with co-hosts Micah Richards and Newcastle hero Alan Shearer have been a particular highlight, with the trio often indulging in friendly banter. Although Lineker will continue to present the FA Cup and cover the 2026 World Cup for the BBC, his departure will significantly alter the dynamics of Match of the Day.
Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan are set to take over the reins in August. But how has Lineker’s relationship with Shearer evolved over time? Chronicle Live breaks it down…
A budding friendship
It’s no secret that Lineker and Shearer share a bond that goes beyond their professional commitments. Lineker joined the BBC show in 1999 following an illustrious football career, which included 80 caps for England, reports the Mirror.
Newcastle United legend Shearer began offering analysis on the show after hanging up his boots in 2006. While they only shared the pitch three times as England teammates, Shearer and Lineker have forged a strong bond through their work in the media.
(Image: PA)
The pair have supported each other through thick and thin, with Shearer notably temporarily stepping down from his Match of the Day presenting role in solidarity when Lineker was asked by the BBC to step back following his criticism of the Government’s controversial migration policy in 2023. Now in 2025, the duo, along with Richards, co-host the podcast ‘The Rest Is Football’, where they regularly exchange banter about happenings on and off the pitch.
An X-rated social media post
An example of their camaraderie was displayed in an X-rated social media post by Lineker after Liverpool’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2022. He posted a video teasing Shearer, who was seen next to the FA Cup trophy with an awkward smile. Lineker quipped: “There it looks, that little beauty,” with the FA Cup fully in view. He then held up a paper cup to the camera, before taking a cheeky dig at Shearer by saying: “There’s the cup you won.”
Shearer responded with a silent clenched fist, then flipped the middle finger at Lineker and laughed. This playful dig references Shearer’s history of missing out on an FA Cup win, having been a runner-up with Newcastle in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
(Image: @GaryLineker/X)
Shearer, however, has the last laugh given that he hoisted the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95 – a privilege Lineker never enjoyed.
What the BBC will miss
The BBC will undoubtedly feel the absence of Lineker and Shearer’s on-screen camaraderie, a dynamic that simply cannot be duplicated. While Chapman, Cates and Logan are expected to deliver commendable Match of the Day coverage when they step up next season, the show’s dynamic will inevitably change without the insightful commentary from two of football’s most cherished pundits.
It comes as Lineker and Shearer are set to offer their expert analysis for the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup’s fifth round on Sunday afternoon, where Manchester United will welcome Fulham to Old Trafford. However, Shearer will undoubtedly have his eye on Newcastle’s earlier fixture with Brighton.
The Magpies have excelled both in the Premier League and in domestic competitions this term, already stamping their ticket to the EFL Cup final against Liverpool. In the FA Cup, Newcastle beat Bromley 3-1 in the third round before dispatching Birmingham City 3-2 in February.
Should they hope to make it two for two in domestic finals across 2024/25, they’ll have to work their way through an equally as impressive Brighton side, who carved their own path to the fifth round with wins over Norwich City and Chelsea respectively.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alan-shearer-gary-lineker-motd-31102274
