Gary Lineker facts for kids
Lineker in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 November 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches (1.77 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1978 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1978–1985 | Leicester City | 194 | (95) |
| 1985–1986 | Everton | 41 | (30) |
| 1986–1989 | Barcelona | 103 | (42) |
| 1989–1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | 105 | (67) |
| 1992–1994 | Nagoya Grampus | 18 | (4) |
| Total | 461 | (238) | |
| National team | |||
| 1984 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| 1984–1992 | England | 80 | (48) |
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Gary Winston Lineker (born 30 November 1960) is a famous English sports broadcaster and a former professional footballer. He is known for being the only player to be the top goalscorer in England with three different clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Gary also played for Barcelona in Spain. He represented England 80 times, scoring 48 goals. After retiring from playing, he became a well-known TV presenter. He has hosted the popular football show Match of the Day on the BBC for many years. He also presents live football matches, including the FIFA World Cup.
Lineker started his football journey at Leicester City in 1978. He became the top goalscorer in England's top league in 1985. He then moved to Everton, where he won important player awards. Later, he joined Barcelona and won the Copa del Rey and the European Cup Winners' Cup. In 1989, he joined Tottenham Hotspur and won the FA Cup, his only major trophy in English football. He finished his playing career in Japan with Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1994.
For England, Gary Lineker scored six goals in the 1986 World Cup, making him the top scorer and earning the Golden Boot. He helped England reach the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, scoring four more goals. He holds England's record for most goals in World Cup tournaments. A special fact about Lineker is that he never received a yellow or red card during his entire career.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Gary Lineker was born in Leicester, England, on 30 November 1960. His father and grandfathers were greengrocers, and Gary often helped out at their fruit and vegetable stall. He has a younger brother named Wayne.
Gary loved sports from a young age. He was good at both football and cricket. From ages 11 to 16, he was the captain of the Leicestershire Schools cricket team. He even thought he might become a professional cricketer! However, he chose football and joined the youth team at Leicester City in 1976. One of his teachers once wrote on his report card that he "concentrates too much on football" and would "never make a living at that." Luckily, they were wrong!
Club Football Career
Gary Lineker played for five different clubs during his professional football career.
Leicester City: Hometown Hero
Lineker began his career at his local club, Leicester City, in 1978. He helped them win the Second Division title in 1980. He became a regular player in 1981, scoring 19 goals. In 1983, he scored 26 goals, helping Leicester get promoted back to the top league.
In the 1984–85 season, he was the joint top scorer in the First Division with 24 goals. His amazing goal-scoring skills caught the eye of bigger clubs.
Everton: A Quick Success
In 1985, Gary joined Everton for £800,000. He had an incredible first season, scoring 40 goals in 57 games! He was again the top scorer in the First Division with 30 goals. Everton finished second in the league and reached the FA Cup final, but lost to Liverpool.
Gary remembers his time at Everton fondly, even though it was short. He scored three hat-tricks for the club.
Barcelona: Spanish Adventure
After being the top scorer at the 1986 World Cup, Lineker moved to Barcelona in Spain for £2.8 million. The team was managed by Terry Venables. This was Gary's first chance to play in European competitions.
In his first season, he scored 21 goals, including a hat-trick against their big rivals, Real Madrid. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. Gary scored 42 goals in 103 league games for Barcelona, becoming one of the highest-scoring British players in Spain.
Tottenham Hotspur: FA Cup Glory
In 1989, Gary returned to England, joining Tottenham Hotspur for £1.1 million. He played for three seasons, scoring 67 goals in 105 league games. In the 1989–90 season, he was the top scorer in the First Division with 24 goals.
Gary finally won a major English trophy with Spurs: the 1991 FA Cup Final. He scored two goals in the semi-final against rivals Arsenal to help them reach the final.
Nagoya Grampus Eight: Final Chapter
In 1991, Lineker decided to move to Japan to play for Nagoya Grampus Eight. He played there for two seasons, scoring 9 goals in 23 games. He retired from playing football in September 1994.
International Career with England
Gary Lineker played for the England team 80 times, scoring 48 goals. This made him England's second-highest goalscorer when he retired.
1986 FIFA World Cup: Golden Boot Winner
He played in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He scored six goals in the tournament, making him the top scorer and winning the Golden Boot. He scored a fast hat-trick against Poland and two goals against Paraguay. In the quarter-final against Argentina, he scored England's only goal in a 2–1 defeat. This game is famous for Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal.
1990 FIFA World Cup: Semi-Finals
In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Gary scored four more goals. He helped England reach the semi-finals, where they played against West Germany. Gary scored the equalizing goal, but England lost the game in a penalty shoot-out. After the match, he famously said: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."
Gary retired from international football in 1992. He was just one goal short of Sir Bobby Charlton's record for England goals at the time.
Life After Football: Media Career
After retiring from playing, Gary Lineker became a very successful sports presenter.
Sports Presenting
He started working for the BBC as a football expert. In 1999, he became the main host of the BBC's main football show, Match of the Day. He has hosted this show for a very long time, becoming the longest-serving presenter. He also leads the BBC's coverage of big football tournaments like the World Cup.
Gary has also worked for other sports channels, including Al Jazeera Sport, NBC Sports Network, and BT Sport, where he presented their Champions League coverage. In 2016, he famously presented Match of the Day in just his boxer shorts after his favorite team, Leicester City, won the Premier League!
Gary is one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC. He has also shared his opinions on social media, which has sometimes led to discussions about his role.
Walkers Commercials
Gary Lineker is also famous for appearing in TV adverts for Walkers crisps, a snack company from his hometown of Leicester. He first signed a deal with them in 1994. For a while, Walkers even named their salt and vinegar crisps 'Salt & Lineker'! His adverts have been very popular over the years.
Other Media Appearances
Gary has appeared in other TV shows and films. He was a team captain on the sports game show They Think It's All Over. He also voiced the character of Underground Ernie on the BBC children's channel, CBeebies. He has made cameo appearances in films like Bend It Like Beckham and the TV series Ted Lasso.
In 2014, Gary started his own production company called Goalhanger Films. They make documentaries and short videos. He also runs Goalhanger Podcasts, which produces popular podcasts like The Rest is Football, which he hosts with other football legends.
Personal Life and Charity Work
Gary Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in 1986, and they had four sons. They later divorced in 2006. In 2009, he married Danielle Bux, but they also divorced in 2016.
In 1991, Gary's eldest son survived a rare form of leukaemia as a baby. This experience led Gary to support children's cancer charities like CLIC Sargent and Leukaemia Busters. He encourages people to donate blood and has been involved with other cancer charities.
In 1995, Gary was given the "Freedom of the City" award in Leicester, showing how much his hometown loves him. In 2002, he helped save his old club, Leicester City, from financial trouble by investing money and encouraging others to do the same. He is now an honorary Vice President of the club.
Gary Lineker learned to speak Spanish when he played for Barcelona. He believes it's important for young people to learn foreign languages. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he donated £140,000 to the British Red Cross to help with research into the virus.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leicester City | 1978–79 | Second Division | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||||
| 1979–80 | Second Division | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||||
| 1980–81 | First Division | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | ||||
| 1981–82 | Second Division | 39 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 19 | |||
| 1982–83 | Second Division | 40 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 26 | |||
| 1983–84 | First Division | 39 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 22 | |||
| 1984–85 | First Division | 41 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 48 | 29 | |||
| Total | 194 | 95 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 216 | 103 | ||||
| Everton | 1985–86 | First Division | 41 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | 5 | 2 | 57 | 40 | |
| Barcelona | 1986–87 | La Liga | 41 | 20 | 1 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 50 | 21 | ||
| 1987–88 | La Liga | 36 | 16 | 5 | 2 | — | 8 | 2 | — | 49 | 20 | |||
| 1988–89 | La Liga | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 11 | ||
| Total | 103 | 42 | 10 | 4 | — | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 52 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1989–90 | First Division | 38 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 45 | 26 | ||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 32 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 19 | |||
| 1991–92 | First Division | 35 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 35 | |
| Total | 105 | 67 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 80 | ||
| Nagoya Grampus Eight | 1993 | J League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 12 | 5 | ||
| 1994 | J League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 3 | |||
| Total | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 24 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 461 | 238 | 38 | 18 | 35 | 17 | 32 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 573 | 283 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1984 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 9 | 6 | |
| 1986 | 10 | 8 | |
| 1987 | 7 | 9 | |
| 1988 | 10 | 3 | |
| 1989 | 9 | 3 | |
| 1990 | 15 | 8 | |
| 1991 | 11 | 9 | |
| 1992 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 80 | 48 | |
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lineker goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 1985 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 2 |  Republic of Ireland |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 16 June 1985 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | 7 |  United States |
1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 3–0 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 16 October 1985 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 9 |  Turkey |
2–0 | 5–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 5 | 4–0 | |||||||
| 6 | 5–0 | |||||||
| 7 | 11 June 1986 | Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico | 16 |  Poland |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup | |
| 8 | 2–0 | |||||||
| 9 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 10 | 18 June 1986 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico | 17 |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup | |
| 11 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 12 | 22 June 1986 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico | 18 |  Argentina |
1–2 | 1–2 | 1986 FIFA World Cup | |
| 13 | 15 October 1986 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 19 |  Northern Ireland |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualification | |
| 14 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 15 | 18 February 1987 | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain | 21 |  Spain |
1–1 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
| 16 | 2–1 | |||||||
| 17 | 3–1 | |||||||
| 18 | 4–1 | |||||||
| 19 | 19 May 1987 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 24 |  Brazil |
1–1 | 1–1 | 1987 Rous Cup | |
| 20 | 9 September 1987 | Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany | 25 |  West Germany |
1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly | |
| 21 | 14 October 1987 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 26 | Turkey |
2–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualification | |
| 22 | 4–0 | |||||||
| 23 | 7–0 | |||||||
| 24 | 23 March 1988 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 28 |  Netherlands |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 25 | 24 May 1988 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 31 |  Colombia |
1–0 | 1–1 | 1988 Rous Cup | |
| 26 | 7 September 1988 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland | 32 |  Switzerland |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 27 | 26 April 1989 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 40 |  Albania |
2–0 | 5–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 28 | 3 June 1989 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 41 | Poland |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 29 | 7 July 1989 | Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | 42 |  Denmark |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 30 | 28 March 1990 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 47 | Brazil |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 31 | 15 May 1990 | 49 | Denmark |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | ||
| 32 | 11 June 1990 | Stadio Sant'Elia, Cagliari, Italy | 52 | Republic of Ireland |
1–0 | 1–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup | |
| 33 | 1 July 1990 | Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy | 56 |  Cameroon |
2–2 | 3–2 (aet) | 1990 FIFA World Cup | |
| 34 | 3–2 | |||||||
| 35 | 4 July 1990 | Stadio delle Alpi, Turin, Italy | 57 | West Germany |
1–1 | 1–1 (3–4 p) | 1990 FIFA World Cup | |
| 36 | 22 September 1990 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 59 |  Hungary |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 37 | 17 October 1990 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 60 | Poland |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualification | |
| 38 | 6 February 1991 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 62 | Cameroon |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 39 | 2–0 | |||||||
| 40 | 25 May 1991 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 65 | Argentina |
1–0 | 2–2 | 1991 England Challenge Cup | |
| 41 | 3 June 1991 | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | 67 |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 42 | 12 June 1991 | Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 68 |  Malaysia |
1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
| 43 | 2–0 | |||||||
| 44 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 45 | 4–1 | |||||||
| 46 | 13 November 1991 | Stadion Miejski, Poznań, Poland | 71 | Poland |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualification | |
| 47 | 19 February 1992 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 72 |  France |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 48 | 29 April 1992 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 74 |  CIS |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Gary Lineker has won many awards and honours throughout his career:
Leicester City
- Football League Second Division: 1979–80
Everton
- FA Charity Shield: 1985
Barcelona
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89
- Copa del Rey: 1987–88
Tottenham Hotspur
- FA Cup: 1990–91
- FA Charity Shield: 1991 (shared)
Individual Awards
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1985–86
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985–86, 1991–92
- English First Division top scorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
- English Second Division top scorer: 1982–83
- Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1986
- FIFA 100 (a list of the greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé)
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1986
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
- FIFA Fair Play Award: 1990 (for never getting a yellow or red card)
See also
In Spanish: Gary Lineker para niños
