An X-rated social media post showed BBC fans exactly what they will miss when Gary Lineker steps away from Match of the Day.
The former Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur striker announced late last year that the 2024/25 Premier League campaign would be his last on the football highlights show. Known for his remarkable analysis of the game, Lineker has etched his name into the hearts of football fans across the UK with his charm and quick wit.
His banter-filled relationship with co-hosts Micah Richards and Alan Shearer has proven particularly pleasing over the years, with the trio taking any opportunity to engage in light-hearted jest.
While Lineker has announced that he will stay on with the BBC to present the FA Cup and cover the 2026 World Cup, Match of the Day will see a huge shake-up in terms of dynamic when he passes the torch onto a trio of Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan in August. But what has Lineker's relationship with the likes of Shearer looked like over the years? Here, Mirror Football breaks it down...
A budding friendship
It comes as no surprise that Lineker and Shearer have an incredible relationship that transcends work. Lineker teamed up with the BBC show back in 1999 after a star-studded footballing career, which saw him capped for England 80 times. Newcastle United hero Shearer, meanwhile, started providing analysis on the show following his retirement in 2006.
And while the two were only team-mates three times on the pitch for England during their respective careers, they have certainly made up for lost time in building a relationship through their media duties. The two have stuck by one another through the good times and the bad, with Shearer famously showing solidarity by stepping down from his own MOTD presenting duties when Lineker found himself being told to step back by the BBC for his criticism of the Government's controversial migration policy back in 2023.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the two pundits also host their The Rest Is Football podcast alongside Richards, constantly cracking wise with one another about happenings on and off the pitch.
An X-rated social media post
Lineker took to social media after Liverpool's FA Cup final win over Chelsea in 2022 to share a clip of him taunting Shearer, showing the full extent of their fun-filled friendship. In the video, Shearer is seen sporting an awkward smile while sitting next to the FA Cup trophy, as Lineker says: "There it looks, that little beauty... there's the cup you won," before showing him an empty coffee cup.
Shearer remains silent as he raises a clenched fist before showing Lineker the middle finger and breaking out in laughter. The jab eluded to Shearer's failure to win an FA Cup over the course of his incredible footballing career, settling for runners-up medals with Newcastle in the 1997/98 and 1998/99 campaigns, where they were beaten by Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively.
Shearer will ultimately have had the last laugh on Lineker on the day, however, considering he lifted the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95 - an honour Lineker never had the privilege of hoisting.
What the BBC will miss
It's no secret that the BBC will miss out on Lineker and Shearer's on-screen presence, given that the relationship between the two simply cannot be replicated. It is thought that Chapman, Cates and Logan will do a fine job in providing Match of the Day coverage when they take the reins next season, however, the dynamic of the show will undoubtedly shift without two of football's most beloved pundits giving their professional takes.
It comes as Lineker and Shearer are expected to provide punditry for the BBC's coverage of the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon when Manchester United play host to Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim's Red Devils have excelled in the competition despite lacklustre performances in the Premier League.
United knocked out Arsenal on penalties in the third round following a 1-1 stalemate at the Emirates Stadium back in January before besting Leicester in the fourth round in February. But should they hope to get their hands on silverware this season, they'll have to first beat a formidable Fulham under the guidance of Marco Silva.
After beating Watford 4-1 in their opening round of the competition, Fulham dispatched Wigan Athletic 2-1 last month - and will hope to carry their good run of form from the Premier League into the domestic tournament. The Cottagers have been unable to beat United this term in the league, suffering narrow 1-0 defeats home and away, and will hope to change that when they meet the Red Devils on Sunday.
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