Gary Lineker is preparing to step down as Match of the Day host, with the ex-England striker naming Premier League stars that could follow his lead.
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Former Tottenham star took MOTD role in 1999Will be stepping down at end of the seasonEx-players become pundits rather than presentersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! đ˘đąWHAT HAPPENED?
Back in 1999, former Tottenham and Barcelona star Lineker was trusted by the BBC with inheriting presenting duties on their flagship Premier League highlights show. He has remained in that role for 25 years, but will be walking away at the end of the current campaign.
AdvertisementGetty WHAT GARY LINEKER SAID
Lineker broke the mould when taking the MOTD reins, with important lessons being picked up from predecessor Des Lynam before he completed the transition from player to presenter. He has told of treading that path: âJimmy Hill had done it for a bit and Bob Wilson did it. But I looked at other sports and saw Sue Barker and David Gower, two people whoâd played at the top of their sports, and thought, âWhy has football not had that? Itâs just general presenters who do the football all of the timeâ.â
THE GOSSIP
The BBC are moving back to âgeneral presentersâ as Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan prepare to share Match of the Day hosting duties. The door will, however, be left open for another former player to follow in Linekerâs footsteps at some stage.
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
Quizzed on who that could be, the 64-year-old said: âItâs hard to know who could be a TV presenter at some point in the future, because itâs very different, though there are quite a few I could see being really good pundits. James Maddison for one, and Conor Coady has already done a lot of television. You can see which ones are decent in interviews. All-round presenting is a separate skill.â