Gary Lineker couldn’t help himself at half-time of the FA Cup final on Saturday, as the Match of the Day host took a cheeky swipe at Wayne Rooney’s struggling managerial career
Gary Lineker quickly apologised after mocking Wayne Rooney and leaving BBC’s pundits in stitches during the FA Cup final. Lineker, 64, led the Beeb’s coverage from Wembley and as ever, made a joke or two at the expensive of his colleagues.
Alan Shearer was, predictably, on the end of a few taunts after failing to win the FA Cup in his playing career, while Lineker even mocked himself for his penalty miss in the 1991 final. But Rooney, who’s currently focussing on media work after being sacked by Plymouth Argyle earlier this season, also felt the brunt.
During the half-time break, as Crystal Palace led Manchester City 1-0, pundit Micah Richards quizzed Rooney on how a manager would go about setting his team up for the second half with a one-goal advantage. “Being a manager and you’re 1-0 up, what do you tell the players at half time?” Richards asked. “Do you change the way you play?”
Before Rooney could reply, Lineker joked: “His teams were never 1-0 up!”
Richards and fellow pundit Glenn Murray burst out laughing before host Lineker quickly apologised: “Sorry Wayne.” Rooney took the joke in good spirits and replied: “Let’s just get back to the game.”
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Rooney lost his job Plymouth in December after only six months in charge of the Championship side. The Manchester United legend had guided them to just four league wins and left them rock bottom of the table.
His failure at Home Park came after an even shorter spell with Birmingham City, lasting just 15 games. His first two managerial roles came at Derby County and MLS outfit D.C. United, both of whom he’d played for.
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After 178 games in the dugout, Rooney’s record stands at 45 wins, 87 defeats and 46 draws. The former England captain is still keen to manage in the future, though, recently telling The Overlap: “I would like to go back in [to management]. But it would have to be the right club. Certainly the right club.
“I think you always have that ego, don’t you? You always have that confidence you could go in and get the best out of a bad or difficult situation. Obviously, that wasn’t the case [at Plymouth]. I am going to enjoy time with my family, though.”
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