Lineker says BBC 'marriage ran out of love' as he reflects on Match of the Day exit

Gary Lineker has opened up about his exit from the BBC, describing his 26-year relationship with the corporation as a marriage that had gradually lost its spark before his departure from Match of the Day in May 2024.

Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the former England striker, 65, said the fallout from a controversial Instagram post about Zionism — which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic symbol — hastened a split that he believes was already coming.

“I was going anyway, but we just brought it forward,” Lineker said. “I thought it seemed to be the sensible thing to do. I think it’s like a marriage with the BBC. We’d been together for a long time and we were starting to run out of love for each other. I’ll always love the BBC. It’s an amazing, amazing corporation.”

Lineker apologised for the post at the time, insisting he had not noticed the rat image before sharing it. “That one I felt bad about because that was my mistake,” he said. “It was not with intent, but I could see why some people would be upset by that.”

Since leaving the BBC, Lineker’s media company Goalhanger has grown rapidly. The firm, which produces The Rest Is Football podcast alongside former players Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, was named Britain’s fastest-growing company in the annual Sunday Times 100 list last week. Goalhanger generated £37.9 million in sales in 2025, reflecting average annual growth of around 321 per cent over the past three years.

The Rest Is Football is also set to expand its reach during the 2026 World Cup, with the podcast airing as a daily television show on Netflix to cover the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.