An emotional Gary Lineker signed off as host of Match of The Day over the weekend, saying it has been an "absolute privilege" and "utterly joyous" to host the show for 26 years.
Last November, Gary Lineker announced that he would be stepping down as host of the flagship football show, but had said that he would continue to host the BBC's coverage of the FA Cup in World Cup in 2026.
However, it was confirmed earlier this month that Gary Lineker would be leaving the BBC earlier then planned, following the conclusion of the current Match of the Day season.
This comes after Lineker issued an apology for sharing an Instagram story about Zionism, featuring a picture of a rat. Lineker who deleted the post, said: "I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views". More on this story here.
At the weekend, Gary Lineker presented his final MOTD episode alongside fellow football pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, which saw the host share the following message.
"Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It’s been an absolute privilege to host Match Of The Day for a quarter of a century", Lineker said in his final message. "It’s been utterly joyous".
It was also confirmed that Lineker would be replaced by Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman, and Lineker wished the trio "all the very best when they sit in this chair. The programme is in the best of hands".
Finishing his onscreen message, Lineker added: "And my final thank you goes to all of you. Thank you for watching, thank you for all your love and support over the years. It has been so special, and I am sorry that your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye. Goodbye".
In tribute to an emotional Lineker, a video montage featuring messages from pundits past and present was played to him. The video included messages from Micah Richards, Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy, Ian Wright and former MOTD pundit, Alan Hansen.
"Gary, you’ve been a great friend. You are a great friend. You’ve been amazing to me, and you’ve been unbelievable to Match Of The Day. So whatever you choose to do on Saturdays, good luck, and we’ll miss you", Shearer said in the video.
The video also featured Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, as well as former team mates Paul Gascoigne, Alan Smith, and Peter Shilton. It also featured Linker's sons George, Harry, Tobias and Angus.
The clip also included Italian singer Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma during Lineker's beloved Leicester City's historic Premier League title celebrations in 2016. Bocelli also left a heartfelt message, before he was shown playing out the episode.
"It had to be Leicester last", following him appearing on Match Of The Day in just his underpants in August 2016, having stuck to a promise to appear half-naked if Leicester won the Premier League", Lineker said.
The video also saw Liverpool's Premier League title winning manager Arne Slot had this message for Lineker.
"It wasn’t meant to end this way… but with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had left to talk about", the Dutchman said.
