Career Timeline of Gary Lineker: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Gary Lineker made an impact.
Gary Lineker is a celebrated English sports broadcaster and former professional footballer. As a player, he excelled as a striker, uniquely achieving top goalscorer status in England with three different clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Barcelona and represented England in 80 international matches. Since the late 1990s, he has been the face of BBC's 'Match of the Day,' becoming its longest-serving presenter. Additionally, Lineker serves as the BBC's primary presenter for live football events, including major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup. He has also contributed to various other sports networks, like Al Jazeera, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports and BT Sport.
1976: Joins Leicester City Youth Academy
In 1976, Lineker joined the youth academy at Leicester City.
1977: Leaves School
In 1977, Lineker left school and began his career at Leicester City.
1978: Lineker Begins Career at Leicester City
In 1978, Gary Lineker began his football career at Leicester City.
1978: Turns Professional
In 1978, Lineker turned professional with Leicester City.
1979: Senior Debut
In 1979, Lineker made his senior debut for Leicester City.
1980: Second Division Title Medal
In 1980, Lineker earned a Second Division title medal with Leicester City.
1981: Regular Player
In 1981, Lineker became a regular player for Leicester City.
1983: Promotion to First Division
In 1983, Leicester City clinched promotion to the First Division, with Lineker scoring 26 goals.
November 1984: Capped by England B
On November 13, 1984, Lineker was capped once by the England B national team.
1984: First Cap for England
In 1984, Gary Lineker earned his first cap for England in a match against Scotland during the 1983–84 British Home Championship.
1984: First Division Top Goalscorer
In 1984, Gary Lineker was the First Division's joint top goalscorer.
1984: England Debut
In 1984, Lineker made his debut for England's national team.
1984: Second-Highest Scorer
In 1984, Lineker was the Second Division's second-highest scorer with 22 goals.
August 1985: Hat-Trick against Birmingham City
On August 31, 1985, Lineker scored a hat-trick for Everton against Birmingham City in a 4-1 league win.
February 1986: Hat-Trick against Manchester City
On February 11, 1986, Lineker scored a hat-trick for Everton against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.
May 1986: Hat-Trick against Southampton
On May 3, 1986, Lineker scored a hat-trick in Everton's 6-1 win over Southampton.
1986: Wins Golden Boot at World Cup
In 1986, Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Mexico as top scorer.
1986: World Cup Golden Boot
In 1986, Lineker won the Golden Boot at the World Cup, scoring six goals.
1986: Signs for Barcelona
In 1986, after winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup, Lineker signed for Barcelona for £2.8 million.
1987: Copa del Rey Winner
In 1987, Lineker won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.
1988: Wins Copa del Rey with Barcelona
In 1988, Lineker won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.
July 1989: Signs for Tottenham Hotspur
In July 1989, Lineker signed for Tottenham Hotspur for £1.1 million.
1989: Joins Tottenham Hotspur
In 1989, Gary Lineker joined Tottenham Hotspur.
1989: Wins European Cup Winners' Cup
In 1989, Lineker won the European Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona.
1990: World Cup Semi-Finals
In 1990, Gary Lineker helped England reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, scoring four goals.
1990: 1990 World Cup
In the 1990 World Cup, Gary Lineker scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals.
November 1991: Accepts Offer from Nagoya Grampus Eight
In November 1991, Lineker accepted an offer from Nagoya Grampus Eight.
1991: Second-Highest Goalscorer
In 1991, Lineker was the top division's second-highest goalscorer.
May 1992: Final Game for Spurs
In May 1992, Lineker played his final game for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring a goal in a 3-1 defeat by Manchester United.
September 1994: Retires from Playing
In September 1994, Lineker announced his retirement from playing football.
1994: Patron of Leukaemia Busters
In 1994, Gary Lineker became a patron of the children's cancer charity Leukaemia Busters.
1994: Retires from Nagoya Grampus Eight
In 1994, Lineker retired from football after playing for Nagoya Grampus Eight.
1995: Appears on They Think It's All Over
From 1995, Lineker appeared as a team captain on the sports game show "They Think It's All Over".
1998: Presentation of Golden Boots TV series
In 1998, Gary Lineker presented a six-part TV series for the BBC called Golden Boots, focusing on the history of the World Cup.
1999: Replaces Lynam as Anchorman
In 1999, Lineker replaced Desmond Lynam as the BBC's anchorman for football coverage.
October 2002: Backing Leicester City rescue bid
In October 2002, Gary Lineker backed a £5 million bid to rescue his former club Leicester City, which had recently gone into administration. He invested a six-figure sum and met with fans to raise money.
2002: Saves Leicester City from Bankruptcy
In 2002, Lineker led a consortium that invested in Leicester City, saving it from bankruptcy.
2003: Ends appearances on They Think It's All Over
In 2003, Lineker ended his run as a team captain on the sports game show "They Think It's All Over".
2005: New Presenter for Golf Coverage
Following Steve Rider's departure, Gary Lineker became the new presenter for the BBC's golf coverage in 2005.
2005: End of Patronage of Leukaemia Busters
In 2005, Gary Lineker's patronage of the children's cancer charity Leukaemia Busters ended.
2006: Voice of Underground Ernie
In 2006, Gary Lineker took on an acting role as the voice of Underground Ernie on the BBC's children's channel, CBeebies.
December 2008: Appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
In December 2008, Gary Lineker appeared on the ITV1 television programme Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £50,000 for charity.
2009: Hosting Northern Exposure
In 2009, Gary Lineker and his wife Danielle hosted a series of the BBC's Northern Exposure, showcasing locations throughout Northern Ireland.
May 2010: Resignation from The Mail on Sunday
In May 2010, Lineker resigned from his role as a columnist for The Mail on Sunday in protest over a sting operation against Lord Triesman, which jeopardized England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Following this, Lineker began working for Al Jazeera Sport.
2012: Departure from Al Jazeera Sport
In 2012, Gary Lineker left his position as an anchor for the English language football coverage for Al Jazeera Sport.
May 2014: Establishment of Goalhanger Films Ltd.
In May 2014, Gary Lineker established his own production company Goalhanger Films Ltd. with Tony Pastor.
June 2015: Lead Presenter of BT Sport's Champions League Coverage
In June 2015, Gary Lineker was unveiled as the lead presenter of BT Sport's Champions League coverage.
August 2016: Presents Match of the Day in underwear
On 13 August 2016, Lineker presented the first Match of the Day of the 2016–17 season wearing only boxer shorts, fulfilling a promise he made in a tweet if Leicester City won the Premier League.
April 2020: Donation to the British Red Cross
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gary Lineker announced that he was donating £140,000 to the British Red Cross for research into the virus.
2020: Visiting Fellow at Oxford
In 2020, Lineker was appointed as a Visiting Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.
2021: Hosting Sitting on a Fortune
In 2021, Gary Lineker started hosting the ITV game show Sitting on a Fortune.
November 2024: Announcement to step down from Match of the Day
In November 2024, Gary Lineker announced that he would be stepping down from presenting Match of the Day, a role he has held since 1999, following the conclusion of the 2024–25 Premier League season in May 2025.
May 2025: Departure from Match of the Day
In May 2025, Gary Lineker will step down from presenting Match of the Day, following the conclusion of the 2024–25 Premier League season.
