GARY LINEKER joked “it’s pointless them sacking me now” as Micah Richards poked fun at the BBC stalwart.
Lineker, 64, announced last month that he will be quitting Match of the Day at the end of the season after 26 years as host.
He will continue presenting FA Cup action on the Beeb during the 2025-26 season, before leaving the broadcaster after the 2026 World Cup.
During the latest episode of The Rest is Football, Lineker discussed watching the Champions League earlier this week.
The former BT Sport anchor said: “I really do like this format. I sat last night and watched the first 20 minutes of City, the second 25 minutes of Arsenal.
“And then I put the Goals Show on, which is really good because because it’s a little bit like Soccer Saturday where they’re talking about the games but you actually see the action with it.
“So when the goals go in it’s quite good to keep across all of it. Then I’m constantly checking my phone for the league table and how it changes every few seconds.
“It keeps it really interesting, every game’s big, every game’s really important.”
Micah Richards cheekily replied: “I don’t think Jason Mohammad would be too happy with that, the BBC have a programme called Final Score Gary, you referenced…”
Lineker then cut back in, as Shearer laughed: “Or Final Score.”
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Richards added: “You do know you worked for the BBC for 30 years, you know that?”
Lineker replied: “In my defence, Micah, at that time of day I’m sitting in the office watching football, so I’ve never seen it.
“But actually, I think Final Score’s a much better programme. But Final Score doesn’t need a lift up from me where that other show on Sky does, probably. You work for everybody, Micah!”
Final Score came up later in the show, when Lineker referenced keeping up with Barcelona‘s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund.
He said: “I watched quite a lot of that in the second half because it kept coming up on the Goals Show, which is actually nearly as good as Final Score.”
Shearer then joked: “You’ll be getting an email!”
Lineker added: “It’s pointless them sacking me now though isn’t it really, I’ve only got a few months left anyway.”
The presenter recently revealed that he turned down an offer to go on ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother.
He said: “My agent sent it through, and then jokingly he replied, ‘Oh, yes. Gary’s fee will be £50 million’.”
Lineker then added: “He did it completely as a joke, obviously. And they came back said, ‘Oh, that’s a little bit…that’s not within our budget’.”
