Manager Gary Lineker has reportedly agreed a “very lucrative” deal to appear on Netflix during next year’s World Cup. The 64-year-old quit the BBC in May after 30 years at the organization.
After a stint as a football pundit, Lineker began hosting Match of the Day in 1999 and went on to become the Beeb’s highest-paid star. However, he was suspended in 2023 following comments he made regarding the Conservative government’s immigration policy. And shortly before leaving office, he apologized after sharing social media posts that included widely offensive images related to anti-Semitism.
After leaving the BBC, Lineker signed a deal with ITV to broadcast Saturday night game show The Box. He is also passionate about his podcast, The Rest is Football, which he launched just over two years ago.
The show was previously broadcast on BBC Sounds, but is no longer broadcast on the Beeb platform. And, according to the Daily Mail, Lineker will be hosting a Netflix podcast from North America during the World Cup.
The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will begin on Thursday, June 11th.
A source close to the deal told the magazine: “‘The Rest Is Football’ is currently available on YouTube, but is not affiliated with any other network or broadcaster. This is completely new for Netflix and is being described as an exciting new move by Netflix executives.”
“It means Gary will get a huge salary. It’s a hugely popular show and he took it with him when he left the BBC.
“This means that Gary’s profile will skyrocket again, but it also means that Gary will be attending the World Cup in a completely different capacity.”
Lineker was due to present the BBC’s World Cup coverage after it was announced last November that he would step down as host of Match of the Day.
However, the former England striker ended up leaving the BBC prematurely, with his final appearance on Match of the Day set to take place on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
Lineker will now be in front of a whole new audience as he plans for the World Cup. However, it is unclear whether or not ‘The Rest of Football’ co-stars Alan Shearer and Micah Richards will appear on the Netflix show.
Shearer and Richards are popular alongside Lineker and currently work as commentators on Match of the Day, so they could be in the US anyway.
