After Gary Lineker finally bid farewell to Match of the Day, ex-BBC Football Focus presenter Dan Walker offered his honest thoughts on his former colleague’s departure
Former BBC Football Focus presenter Dan Walker truly believes Match of the Day “won’t be the same” without Gary Lineker. The former Tottenham Hotspur and England forward has finally left the flagship Premier League highlights programme after 26 years of presenting.
Lineker made his goodbyes while holding back the tears in what was an emotional final episode for the 64-year-old. The former striker announced he was leaving the BBC altogether soon after he shared a social media video criticising Israel which featured an emoji of a rat.
Not long after deleting the post, Lineker apologised and stated that he would be stepping down from the BBC permanently following the end of the 2024/25 season.
The presenter paid an emotional farewell to his colleagues at the BBC during his final episode on Sunday night. And after watching the end-of-season show, Walker, who presented Football Focus for 12 years before moving across to Channel 5 in 2022, sent a post in support of his ex-BBC colleague.
The broadcaster, who was once touted as a possible long-term replacement for Lineker on MOTD, took to X and said: “Match of the Day won’t be the same without Gary Lineker.
“It was always a pleasure to present the show, but it was always Gary’s chair. Brilliant career on the pitch matched by a brilliant stint on the biggest football show on the TV.”
At the end of the episode, Lineker said: “Let me take this opportunity to thank all the pundits I’ve worked with over the years, you’ve made my job a lot easier. Rather like my football career everyone else did all the hard work and I got all the plaudits.”
Initially, Lineker was only going to step down from presenting weekly highlights of the Premier League on the show, but continue presenting live FA Cup coverage and the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, before stepping away after the latter.
However, his social media post hastened his exit from the Beeb. Confirming his imminent departure last Monday, he said: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio.
“I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, said: “Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.”
Lineker presented the flagship BBC show for 26 years, initially taking over from Des Lynam in 1999. He was drafted into the Match of the Day hot seat after Lynam left the BBC to join ITV.
Next season, the trio of Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan will share the hosting duties of Match of the Day.
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