The former Match of the Day star could be set to take on a major new role at next summer’s World Cup which could swell his bank balance dramatically
Gary Lineker is set to head to Netflix after signing a ‘lucrative’ deal with the streaming giant. The England legend will host The Rest Is Football podcast for the platform from the World Cup in North America following his exit from the BBC in May
After stepping down from hosting Match of the Day after 25 years, the broadcaster’s intentions were for Lineker, 65, to steer the BBC’s coverage for next summer’s World Cup, but that plan was axed.
The sudden exit came after the former Leicester striker was hit with backlash for sharing and then deleting a pro-Palestine video featuring an ‘antisemitic’ rat emoji. Lineker’s popular podcast was previously aired on BBC Sounds but following his unceremonious departure from the BBC, it hasn’t had a permanent home, and is currently available on YouTube and other services.
It is not yet known whether Lineker’s regular pod colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards will join him in the new Netflix venture. However, the deal is expected to expand Lineker’s bank balance even further.
From his net worth to his private life, Mirror Sport takes a look at the behind the scenes life of the former Match of the Day star.
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Netflix deal and net worth
Regarding the new deal, a source reportedly told the Daily Mail: “The Rest is Football is currently available to watch on YouTube but it has not been affiliated to any other network or broadcaster.
“This is all new for Netflix and it is being described as an exciting new thing amongst the bosses there. It will mean that Gary gets a huge payday, it is an extremely popular show but when he left the BBC he took it with him.
“This will mean that its profile will catapult again, as well as meaning that Gary will go to the World Cup after all, just in a very different capacity.”
Lineker’s net worth is thought to be around £30 million. His staggering wealth has been significantly bolstered by his BBC earnings. The broadcaster divulged in its annual salary report that the former forward pocketed between £1,300,000 and £1,354,999 in 2023/2024.
Despite already being the BBC’s top earner for the previous seven years, Lineker had conceded to take a substantial pay cut of around £350,000 to stay on MOTD, before leaving the show this year.
Following his departure from the BBC, it was announced that he will host a quiz show on ITV called The Box which will see celebrity contestants transported to unknown locations.
However, while it’s unclear just how much he will earn from his new Netflix deal and the ITV show, it’s widely expected that Lineker’s net worth will grow substantially.
Lineker’s private life
The former goalscorer has been married twice and shares his four children with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne, whom he married in 1986 and divorced 20 years later.
In 2007, the star began dating Danielle Bux, who was 20 years his junior. They later married in Italy, but their union only lasted six years before the pair announced they were splitting in early 2016.
In 2019, Gary explained: “Danielle and I are best mates, we still speak three times a day, we text all the time. When she comes to London, she stays with me, and when I go to LA, I see her.”
Lineker has described Danielle as his ‘best mate’ but has refused to comment on his sex life. He once said: “I am still single. I am not going down that route! I have been there before and tried to explain myself and I got slaughtered by my friends.”
Lineker had previously explained the intriguing set-up for how he continues to keep in touch with Danielle, and how her current husband never gets ‘jealous’ of their friendship.
“He’s not got a jealous bone in his body,” Gary said to the Radio Times. “We get on really well. We go out for dinner when I’m in LA. It might be unusual and people might go, ‘That’s weird’ but, frankly, I don’t care. What is normal? Is it better to get divorced and end up fighting, screaming and shouting? Or is it better to get on if you can?”
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