Gary Lineker wasted no time taking a swipe at the BBC on the first episode of The Rest is Football World Cup show on Netflix. The former England captain, who left the broadcaster in May 2025 after 26 years hosting Match of the Day, launched his new program alongside pundits Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
Lineker's Jibe at the BBC
During the opening episode, Richards teased Lineker about Harry Kane potentially finishing as top scorer this summer and what that would mean for Lineker's England legacy. Richards turned to the camera and said: "Harry please, I am sick to death of this man to my left talking nonsense every single day on the pod about World Cup this, Golden Boot that. Harry please, even if you don't win it..." Mocking Lineker, Richards added: "'I don't really mind it actually because all it does, it keeps me relevant'. Leave it out."
Shearer then chimed in: "You're not f*****g relevant anymore, you're off the BBC. You are on Netflix with us." Lineker hit back with: "I would say that is a step in the right direction and the pair of you can f*** off."
Previous Criticism of the BBC
This is not the first time Lineker has aimed at the BBC. In April, he claimed that pundits and presenters covering the World Cup would be "working from a green box in Salford," rather than broadcasting live from the USA. The corporation's director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, responded: "It's not a green box in Salford. It's a beautiful state-of-the-art studio. No one's seen it until now. It's completely fine to assume that what was there before was what it was going to be. And I'm really proud of this." Kay-Jelski added: "The actual end product people are getting at home, I don't really think it's that different. If these people were sitting somewhere else, would your viewing be massively changed? If I was standing here saying, 'Everything is going to be done from a studio in Dallas', you would rightly be saying to me, 'How can you justify that spend?'"
Lineker on His Departure
Opening up about his departure from the BBC, Lineker told the Press Association: "I've got a bit more time, I'm not treading on quite so many eggshells these days, I'm allowed an opinion on things. But no, I had a wonderful period at the Beeb, and I've covered so many major tournaments, and obviously I was going to do this (the 2026 World Cup) originally, but now I'm doing something different, which is really exciting."
