Lineker fires back at Shearer's BBC jibe in X-rated Rest is Football exchange

Gary Lineker responded with a sharp expletive when Alan Shearer declared him irrelevant for leaving the BBC, in a candid exchange on the opening episode of their Netflix World Cup show, Rest is Football.

Lineker, who ended a 26-year stint as Match of the Day host in May 2025, is fronting the new Netflix series alongside Shearer and Micah Richards ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The banter turned pointed when Richards mocked Lineker’s fixation on Harry Kane’s chances of winning the Golden Boot — a trophy Lineker himself claimed at the 1986 World Cup.

Richards addressed the camera directly: “Harry please, I am sick to death of this man to my left talking nonsense every single day on the pod about World Cup this, Golden Boot that. Harry please, even if you don’t win it…” He then impersonated Lineker adding: “‘I don’t really mind it actually because all it does, it keeps me relevant’. Leave it out.”

Shearer piled on immediately. “You’re not f*g relevant anymore, you’re off the BBC,” he told Lineker. “You are on Netflix with us.”

Lineker’s retort was swift: “I would say that is a step in the right direction and the pair of you can f*** off.”

The clip captures the unfiltered dynamic the trio have built across several years of podcasting, now transplanted to a higher-profile platform for the summer tournament. Lineker’s move to Netflix marks his first major presenting role since leaving the BBC, where he had also anchored coverage of major international tournaments including European Championships and World Cups.