Gary Lineker has given the clearest indication yet he may be winding down as Match of the Day host.
Lineker took over hosting duties of the iconic BBC show in 1999 when he replaced Des Lynam.
The Leicester City legend has remained in the role since and is the highest-paid talent on the BBC’s payroll.
Per the broadcaster’s annual report published in July, Lineker earned approximately £1.35million in the 2023/24 financial year.
However, Lineker’s contract with the BBC is up at the end of the season.
Speculation has been rife about Lineker’s future, prompting a cheeky joke from the 63-year-old when introducing the show in early October.
The BBC was also forced to deny reports they had prepared a statement to announce his departure.
“We have nothing to announce, and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract, the BBC statement read.
“He is on contract until the end of the season.”
However, Lineker has poured fuel on the fire this season could be his last in an interview with Esquire magazine.
When quizzed by Esquire if he’d given thought about leaving the BBC to focus on his other media and business projects, Lineker was coy.
“I could do,” Lineker said per the Press Association.
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“Whether that will be the case I don’t know. At some point, I have to slow down somewhere… I’m getting old.”
In addition to Match of the Day, Lineker founded Goalhanger Films Ltd which has produced a number of documentaries.
Lineker also created Goalhanger Podcasts, which produces his much-loved The Rest Is Football where he appears alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
Lineker also has a lucrative partnership with British crisp company Walkers.
The 63-year-old has forged an impressive post-playing career having been one of England’s finest strikers in his prime.
Lineker plundered goals for Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham and was named as runner-up in the Ballon d’Or awards in 1986.
He was immensely successful at international level for the Three Lions as he scored 48 goals from 80 caps and was later inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
