- A leaked email suggests the iconic host is stepping down from his Match of the Day
- Gary Lineker will continue to rake in huge sums from other ongoing projects
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Gary Lineker will continue to rake in a staggering payday despite fresh doubts over his future as BBC Match of the Day presenter following the emergence of an email suggesting Saturday will be his final appearance on the show.
The message, seen by Mail Sport, appears to come from the broadcaster’s sporting director, Alex Kay-Jelski, and includes a statement announcing the former England striker’s departure after 25 years of presenting the iconic show.
However, Lineker – who found success as a Three Lions star – does not have to worry about a drop in income after the huge amounts of money his podcast rakes in were revealed.
During Euro 2024, which saw England go all the way to the final before losing to Spain, Lineker was joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards for his The Rest is Football podcast.
The huge popularity of the show, which saw Lineker and his co-presenters give their critical assessment of the performances during the European Championship, has earned the presenter £125,000 so far, it is reported The times.
Gary Lineker will continue to rake in huge sums if he decides to step down as host of Match of the Day
Lineker has been the BBC’s main anchor on their flagship MOTD show since 1999
Lineker (right) alongside co-hosts Micah Richards (centre) and Alan Shearer (left) has seen his The Rest Is Football podcast benefit from huge revenue
Ambitious, deep-pocketed advertisers offered to pay £45 for every 1,000 views as long as Lineker and his colleagues mentioned them, while also paying £15 just to be associated with the programme.
Over the course of Euro 2024, the podcast was downloaded 19.6 million times, leading to a huge increase in money paid by advertisers keen to be promoted.
Lineker’s son Harry – one of four children – produces the podcast and previously revealed that the show’s popularity rose by more than 60 percent during the European Championship, while there was also a spike in views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Lineker remains the face of Walkers crisps and a three-year contract with the snack manufacturer in 2020 earned a reported £1.2 million.
The deal also gave Lineker a new new ambassador role for the company, which also means he will appear in fewer ads in the future.
Lineker revealed earlier in December that he has no plans to step down from his duties at the snack food organization. He stated at the time, “One thing is guaranteed: If I’m still alive, I’ll still be doing Walkers.”
Meanwhile, Lineker remains the face of Walkers crisps and a three-year contract with the snack manufacturer in 2020 earned a reported £1.2 million.
Lineker could be tempted to seek other broadcasting opportunities if he decides to leave the BBC
The former Everton, Leicester City and Barcelona striker is currently the BBC’s biggest earner, taking home £1.35 million for his football broadcasts.
However, should he resign from the Beeb, Lineker is not expected to be turned down by offers from other rival broadcasters keen to recruit the iconic presenter.
It was recently revealed that Laura Woods has paid herself an eye-watering £400,000 dividend to celebrate her move to ITV and TNT Sports, with Lineker likely to command an even higher fee given his history in sports broadcasting.
TNT Sports or Amazon Video could look to include the veteran in their squad for Champions League coverage, while Sky Sports could potentially lure Lineker to host their Premier League matches.