Four BBC pundits who left MOTD – from sacked star to Gary Lineker’s ‘favourite’
Gary Lineker will step down from Match of the Day on Sunday evening after hosting for over two decades. Here we take a closer look at four of his most fascinating former colleagues on the show
Gary Lineker will bring down the curtain on his Match of the Day career on Sunday after an incredible 25 years in the hot seat. The former England star announced that he would step down from his post in November of last year.
Lineker has hosted the show since 1999. He is currently the BBC’s highest-paid star with a huge annual salary of £1.35 million.
Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan will now take over the highlights show from next season. However over the years, Lineker has shared the studio with some of the game’s most famous and astute pundits.
From one sacked star to a man the former Leicester striker hailed as the godfather of football analysis, Mirror Football takes a closer look at four of Linker’s most famous colleagues.
Jermaine Jenas
One of the most shocking events in Lineker’s stint on Match of the Day came in August 2024 when Jermaine Jenas was sacked from his roles on The One Show and MOTD.
Following complaints about workplace conduct, the former Newcastle star was removed from both positions. Responding to the news, Jenas said there were “two sides to every story”, but he would let his lawyers deal with it.
Jenas, who is married and has four children, earned between £190,000 and £194,999 at the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match of the Day and the World Cup.
Ian Wright
Ian Wright enjoyed a long history with the BBC’s flagship programme until 2023. The ex-Arsenal hero made his debut on the show while still playing in 1997, but went on to become a regular pundit in 2002.
Yet he departed the show due to logistical reasons. Explaining further, he said: “It’s time. I had a dear friend who said that, ‘Sometimes you’ve got to know when to step back, change, rest, have a break, and say no’ – it’s just time.”
Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Wright opened up on how his send-off almost had him, Lineker and Alan Shearer in tears. Lineker later took to X to commend his good friend.
“It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work alongside you, Ian,” he posted. “One of my favourite people on the planet. Farewell, my friend”.
Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen is perhaps Match of the Day’s most celebrated pundit of all time. The Liverpool legend joined in 1992 and stepped down in 2014. He later revealed in a candid interview that his withdrawal from broadcasting was due to overwhelming nerves.
“After 22 years, I kept telling myself I wouldn’t get so nervous, but it got worse,” he said. “That was one of the reasons I left. The BBC were terrific, I loved the people and Match of the Day but I didn’t enjoy the nerves.”
Hansen’s claims were even corroborated by Lineker. “He was incredibly nervous,” Lineker said. However, the ex-England forward did express his deep admiration for Hansen.
“He was probably the first person that went down the more analytic route, a path now followed by so many,” Lineker said in April 2023. “He was a brilliant pundit.”
Mark Lawrenson
Another departure laced with controversy was Mark Lawrenson’s. The 67-year-old enjoyed a long-standing media career with the BBC, with the Liverpool icon working on MOTD and Football Focus between 1997 and 2022.
Yet he claims that his exit from the corporation was far from mutual, alleging that he was forced out due to his age. He said: “I think one of the problems with the Beeb was that they don’t really understand things like you’ve been a footballer, and sometimes you get left out – and you get taken off the pitch.
“And it’s as though they can’t tell you the bad news. It’s always a shock when it’s something like that but yeah, they could have dealt with it so much better.”
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