REVEALED: How Gary Lineker feels about his Match of The Day replacements as he prepares to step down as host of iconic show next month

Gary Lineker has revealed how he feels about his Match of The Day replacements. 

The experienced anchor will step down as host of the iconic programme in May, bringing an end to his 26-year spell in the show’s hot seat.

Mail Sport previously revealed that Kelly Cates would share hosting responsibilities of the flagship weekend Premier League highlights show and its midweek Champions League package alongside Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman from next season.

And Lineker has backed the BBC‘s decision to split hosting duties between the three ‘top presenters’. 

‘That’s probably down to the fact it’s a massive commitment,’ Lineker told FourFourTwo magazine. ‘Those three have all got families, and if you’re saying someone is going to do it for the next 10 or 20 years, then your weekends are gone.

‘That might be it, I don’t know. I didn’t get involved in any of that. I take it as a compliment that they’ve named three, but I suspect it’s not due to that.

Kelly Cates, March Chapman and Gabby Logan will share hosting duties from next season

The 64-year-old also hinted he may step away from sports presenting entirely 

‘I haven’t seen them yet to speak to them, but I will do – they’ll be fine and they’ll do a great job. I’ve known them all for years, they’re top presenters. I’ll be watching, but probably on iPlayer… I don’t think I’ll be watching on Saturday. Maybe the odd time, if I’m in.’ 

The 64-year-old also hinted he may step away from sports presenting entirely, saying: ‘I don’t think you’ll see me doing much football, apart from the podcast.’

Lineker then added: ‘I’ll do the odd thing, but I don’t think you’ll see me appearing regularly on another channel.’

Lineker will continue to front the BBC’s coverage of next season’s FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup before walking away entirely from the corporation to focus on his own ventures. 

The former England international’s podcast company recorded a staggering £1.4million profit last year.

He founded Goalhanger Podcasts in 2019 and its series of shows, including The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is History, have regularly topped the charts, raking in millions of listeners and boasting growing audiences.

Its assets jumped over the last 12 months with accounts filed at Companies House showing its retained earnings rose from £590,000 in 2023 to £2.03m last year, a £1.4m rise. 

Cash in the bank also increased from £560,000 to £2.7m.

Lineker himself presents The Rest Is Football, a popular show covering the sport’s biggest talking points, alongside BBC colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

Lineker anchors The Rest Is Football alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer

According to the business, its 13 key shows amassed more than 400m audio downloads and over 85m views on YouTube across 2024.

During Euro 2024, Lineker’s podcast was downloaded 19.6m times.