Gary Lineker, a retired English footballer and sports presenter, has accumulated a net worth of $35 million. He holds the record for most World Cup finals goals scored by an English player, with ten.
Gary Lineker, a former professional footballer from England and now a well-known sports commentator, boasts a net worth of $35 million. He holds the English record for the highest number of goals scored in FIFA World Cup final matches, totaling ten. His football journey began at his local club, Leicester City, where he played between 1978 and 1985, netting 95 goals in 194 appearances. In the 1985-86 season, he joined Everton, scoring 30 goals in 41 games. That same year, he transferred to Barcelona, where he contributed 42 goals in 103 matches and earned the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award. Lineker moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 1989, participating in 105 matches and finding the net 67 times. His final professional club was Nagoya Grampus Eight, where he scored four goals in 18 appearances. Across his club and international career, spanning 16 years, he accumulated 330 goals in total. Following his retirement from playing, he embarked on a broadcasting career with the BBC, becoming the host of their premier football show, "Match of the Day." In 2003, Lineker was honored with induction into the English Football Hall of Fame. He has also contributed written pieces to "The Sunday Telegraph" and started working with NBC Sports Network in 2013. In May 2025, Lineker stepped down from his role at the BBC after sharing a social media post that unintentionally contained antisemitic undertones. Beyond broadcasting, Lineker is the founder of Goalhanger Films and Goalhanger Podcasts, which produces the highly successful podcast "The Rest Is History." In 2017, it was disclosed that the BBC compensated Lineker with an annual salary of $3 million for hosting "Match of the Day," making him the highest-paid individual at the corporation at that time. Gary Winston Lineker was born on November 30, 1960, in Leicester, England. He is the son of Barry and Margaret Lineker and has a younger brother named Wayne, with whom he played football during his youth. His middle name was chosen by his parents to honor former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who shared the same birthday. Lineker’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather worked as greengrocers, with Barry operating a fruit and vegetable stall at Leicester Market, where a young Gary frequently assisted. Though he is white, Lineker has spoken about facing racist abuse due to his darker complexion. He attended Caldecote Road School and the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School, excelling in both rugby and football. From ages 11 to 16, he captained the Leicestershire Schools cricket team and played for Aylestone Park Youth football club, later becoming its president. Lineker earned four O levels upon leaving school, and one of his teachers noted in a report that he "focuses too much on football" and would "never make a living from it." In 1976, he enrolled in Leicester City’s youth academy. From 1995 to 2003, Lineker served as a team captain on the sports game show "They Think It's All Over." He also hosted the sports program "Grandstand" and became the BBC Sport’s top-earning presenter after being named its lead football anchor, covering "Match of the Day" and golf events, as well as Premier League coverage for NBCSN. In November 2024, Lineker announced his departure from "Match of the Day" following the conclusion of the 2024–25 Premier League season. In 1994, he signed a £200,000 deal to appear in TV commercials for Walkers snacks. Lineker has made guest appearances on shows like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," "Who Do You Think You Are?," and "Ted Lasso," as well as the film "Bend It Like Beckham." In 2014, he established the production company Goalhanger Films Ltd., which produced the BBC documentary "Gary Lineker on the Road to FA Cup Glory." He oversees Goalhanger Podcasts, which features his own show "The Rest is Football" along with other popular podcasts such as "The Rest is History" and "The Rest is Politics." Gary Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in July 1986, and the couple had four sons before divorcing in 2006. Their eldest son overcame leukemia as a baby, receiving treatment at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Lineker supports the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent and has appeared in campaigns encouraging blood donations. He and Michelle were patrons of Leukaemia Busters from 1994 to 2005, and he has also been involved with Cancer Research UK and Fight for Life. Lineker married Danielle Bux in Italy on September 1, 2009, but they divorced in 2016, reportedly due to Lineker’s reluctance to have more children. In 1995, he was granted the title of freeman of the City of Leicester and is affectionately known as "Leicester's favourite son." In 2002, he supported a £5 million effort to save Leicester City, his former club, and was later named honorary Vice President after the club avoided liquidation. In 2017, Lineker was among several British celebrities named in the Paradise Papers for owning property in Barbados through offshore companies, which could potentially reduce local tax liabilities upon property sales. In March 2023, he successfully appealed against HM Revenue and Customs after the agency attempted to charge him £4.9 million in income taxes for his work with BT Sport and the BBC between 2013-2014 and 2017-2018. HM Revenue and Customs argued that Lineker was employed by both companies simultaneously, but a judge determined he was a freelancer. Shortly after, Lineker criticized the UK government’s asylum policies on Twitter, prompting the BBC to state that his recent social media activity breached their guidelines. The network announced that Lineker would not present "Match of the Day" until a clear social media policy for freelancers was established. Many BBC Sport colleagues withdrew from their roles in solidarity, and "Match of the Day" aired without hosts or studio presentation for a period. Three days after the suspension was announced, the BBC lifted it and committed to an independent review of social media guidelines for freelance contributors. Lineker was named PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 1985–86 season and received the FWA Footballer of the Year award for the 1985–86 and 1991–92 seasons. He topped the scoring charts in the English First Division during the 1984–85, 1985–86, and 1989–90 seasons and led the English Second Division in goals during the 1982–83 season. In 1986, he finished as the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or, won the Onze de Bronze, the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, and was selected for the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. He also claimed the Onze Mondial awards in 1986 and 1987, received the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1990, the FIFA World Player of the Year bronze award in 1991, and the FWA Tribute Award in 1997. In 2003, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. Lineker was appointed a Visiting Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford in 2020, and Loughborough University awarded him an Honorary Master of Arts in 1992. For his television work, he won Television and Radio Industries Club Awards for Sports Presenter in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011. In 2017, he received a nomination for a National Television Award for Most Popular TV Presenter for "Match of the Day." Lineker resides in a £4 million mansion located in South London. The property features a private gym, a cinema room, and an outdoor space equipped with a wooden pergola and a fire pit. © 2026 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved