'It wasn't meant to end this way': Gary Lineker bows out from Match Of The Day

Gary Lineker bid a tearful farewell to Match Of The Day arsenic helium presented the amusement for the last time.

The ex-England striker, 64, announced his departure earlier this month aft sharing a societal media station from the Palestine Lobby radical titled: "Zionism explained successful 2 minutes."

The Instagram station was illustrated with a rat, which has been utilized to correspond Jewish radical successful antisemitic propaganda - including Nazi Germany.

Lineker "apologised unreservedly" for sharing it, saying helium was unaware of the notation and it was a mistake. He maintained the value of "speaking retired connected humanitarian issues, including the calamity unfolding successful Gaza".

Presenting his last Match Of The Day alongside regular colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker did not straight code the circumstances of his departure during the programme.

"It wasn't meant to extremity this way," helium quipped successful his opening line, continuing: "But with the rubric contention implicit and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was each we had near to speech about."

Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle secured the remaining places successful Europe's elite competition.

After moving done highlights of each 10 games from the last time of the Premier League season, Lineker thanked his chap pundits, viewers and those who enactment down the scenes, earlier wishing bully luck to his replacements.

Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates volition instrumentality connected presenting duties for the 2025-26 campaign.

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A past of Gary Lineker's astir arguable posts

'It has been truthful special'

Lineker wiped distant tears astatine the extremity of the show, having been played a montage of messages including from Richards, Shearer, Ian Wright, Alan Hansen, Paul Gascoigne, Pep Guardiola, and Claudio Ranieri.

Italian manager Ranieri led Lineker's beloved Leicester City to the Premier League rubric successful 2016, which memorably saw the BBC's highest paid prima contiguous an occurrence of Match Of The Day successful a brace of boxers.

He had promised to look connected the amusement fractional bare if Leicester won the league.

Lineker started presenting Match Of The Day backmost successful 1999, and has besides fronted the BBC's sum of World Cups, Euros tournaments, and the Olympics.

"It has been truthful special," Lineker said arsenic helium signed off, "and I americium atrocious that your squad was ever connected last.

"Time to accidental goodbye. Goodbye."