Gary Lineker has aimed a parting shot at the BBC as his Match of the Day exit creeps closer.
The 64-year-old is being replaced by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan as the Beeb look to bring in new viewers.
Lineker has been host of MOTD ever since 1999 but will depart once the final three league games of the season are done and dusted, though he will keep working with the broadcaster until the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Now, as he prepares to depart, the former Tottenham and Leicester star has aimed a dig at the BBC by saying he's a better presenter now - compared to before.
Gary Lineker has aimed a parting shot at the BBC as his Match of the Day exit creeps closer
PA
In an interview with the Times, the former England striker said: “I think I’m a better presenter now than I’ve ever been.
“I know everything that can go wrong, and everything that can go right. Which is a good time to go.”
Lineker was then told that it sounds like a bad time to go. He responded, however, with a little dig at the BBC.
"There wasn’t a great desire to give me another three-year contract," he added.
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Lineker is set to focus on his Rest is Football podcast when he leaves Match of the Day.
There has been talk of him potentially going to Sky over the years, only for nothing to ever materialise.
And the ex-striker has now admitted that he's never been tempted to jump ship due to how Sky cover matches.
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Gary Lineker first started presenting BBC Match of the Day back in 1999BBC“Half of our nation don’t have Sky or TNT or Amazon. So it’s their fix of Premier League football every week,” he continued.
“There is the fact that we’ve grown up with it, a lot of us.
"It’s almost a staple part of our diet. Even if you watch a game live, there’s still a lot of games that you haven’t seen.
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“We were a little bit worried originally when Sky started putting out highlights. But it didn’t make a difference. Almost every single week, we’re the top-watched show on iPlayer.
“They [the BBC] can spend 20 minutes covering a corner.
“It’s not for me. I switch on for the match. The build-up for matches, for me, is the most boring part.
Gary Lineker is leaving Match of the Day at the end of the seasonPA"You are guessing what is going to happen. Let’s have five minutes on who is not in the team.
“Give me half-time. That is what I love about live matches. Half-time. We have a massive advantage [at the BBC]. We have no commercials.
"When I worked at BT Sport, during the Champions League if there are three goals in the first half you struggle to show them [because of the adverts]. You have not got time.”
