Gary Lineker, a retired English footballer and sports broadcaster, has accumulated a net worth of $35 million. He holds the English record for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cup finals with ten goals.
Gary Lineker, now retired from professional football, works as a sports commentator and broadcaster, boasting a net worth of $35 million. He is renowned in England for scoring the highest number of goals in FIFA World Cup finals, with a total of ten. Starting his career at his local club, Leicester City, from 1978 until 1985, Lineker netted 95 goals across 194 appearances. In the 1985-86 season, he joined Everton, where he scored 30 goals in 41 matches. His time at Barcelona, which began in 1986, saw him find the net 42 times in 103 appearances, and the same year he secured the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award. In 1989, Gary Lineker transitioned to Tottenham Hotspur, participating in 105 matches and finding the back of the net 67 times. His final professional stint was with Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan, where he scored four goals in 18 appearances. Throughout his 16-year career, combining club and international play, he amassed an impressive total of 330 goals. Following retirement, he joined the BBC, where he became the face of their flagship football program, "Match of the Day." In 2003, he received an induction into the English Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. Lineker has also contributed written pieces to "The Sunday Telegraph" and, starting in 2013, began working with the NBC Sports Network. His tenure at the BBC concluded in May 2025 after he posted a social media message that was interpreted as containing antisemitic undertones. Beyond broadcasting, Gary Lineker is the founder of Goalhanger Films and Goalhanger Podcasts. Under the Goalhanger banner, he produces the widely listened-to podcast "The Rest Is History." In 2017, it was disclosed that the BBC compensated Gary Lineker with an annual salary of $3 million for his role as host of "Match of the Day," making him the highest-paid individual at the broadcaster. Born Gary Winston Lineker 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 honors former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who shared the same birthday. Lineker's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were greengrocers, with Barry operating a fruit and vegetable stall at Leicester Market, where a young Gary often lent a hand. He has mentioned enduring racist abuse due to his darker complexion. Lineker attended Caldecote Road School and the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School, excelling in both rugby and football. Between the ages of 11 and 16, he captained the Leicestershire Schools cricket team and played for Aylestone Park Youth football club, eventually becoming its president. Upon leaving school, he had four O levels, and one of his teachers noted on his report that he "focuses too much on football" and "will never earn 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 highest-paid presenter after being named the primary anchor for football coverage, including "Match of the Day." Additionally, he presented golf coverage for the BBC and Premier League matches for NBCSN. In November 2024, Gary announced his exit 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 snack products. Lineker has also made guest appearances on shows such as "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 manages Goalhanger Podcasts, which releases his podcast "The Rest is Football" along with other popular shows like "The Rest is History" and "The Rest is Politics." Gary Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in July 1986, and together they 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 participated in campaigns encouraging blood donations. Gary and Michelle were patrons of the charities Leukaemia Busters from 1994 to 2005, and Lineker has also supported organizations like Cancer Research UK and Fight for Life. He wed Danielle Bux on September 1, 2009, in Italy, but the couple 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 referred to as "Leicester's favourite son." In 2002, he backed a £5 million bid to rescue his former club, Leicester City, from financial collapse, and upon its success, he was named an honorary Vice President of the club. In 2017, Gary Lineker was among British celebrities named in the Paradise Papers for owning property in Barbados through offshore companies, allowing them to sidestep local taxes upon selling. 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 an employee of both companies simultaneously, but a judge ruled that he operated as a freelancer. Shortly after, Lineker criticized the British government's asylum policies on Twitter, prompting the BBC to state that his recent social media activity violated their guidelines. The network stated that Lineker would not host "Match of the Day" until a clear social media policy was established. Many of his BBC colleagues withdrew from their roles in solidarity, and the show aired without hosts or studio presentation for a brief period. Three days after the suspension was announced, the BBC lifted it and committed to an independent review of how its social media guidelines should apply to freelancers outside the news division. Gary Lineker earned the PFA Players' Player of the Year award for the 1985–86 season and the FWA Footballer of the Year title for both 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 and claimed the Onze de Bronze, FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, and a spot on the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. He also secured 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. In 2020, he was appointed a Visiting Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, and in 1992, Loughborough University awarded him an Honorary Master of Arts. For his television work, Lineker won Television and Radio Industries Club Awards for Sports Presenter in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011. In 2017, he received a nomination for the National Television Award, UK, for Most Popular TV Presenter for "Match of the Day." Gary Lineker resides in a £4 million mansion located in South London. The property features a personal gym, a private cinema, and an outdoor space equipped with a wooden pergola and a fire pit. © 2026 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved