Lineker leaves MOTD having made a HUGE change to the show that fans love

GARY LINEKER will leave Match of the Day having been responsible for a major change in the format of the show.

The England and Leicester hero agreed to call time on his 25-year stint as host of the iconic show at the end of the season.

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He will stop presenting the Premier League highlights on a Saturday night in May but will continue to do live FA Cup matches in 2025-26.

Then he plans to quit the BBC entirely after anchoring the coverage of England’s next major tournament at the 2026 World Cup.

After Lineker reached new terms a new 18-month contract extension with the Beeb, a source said: “Gary absolutely adores Match of the Day, and has been incredibly happy at the BBC.

“He wants to leave on a high – and if England win the World Cup, it doesn’t get much higher.

“It’s one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets that the new BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski and Gary aren’t exactly close. The former is very keen to make his mark by bringing in new faces and slashing wage bills.

“Negotiations have been ongoing for the past six weeks and finally a deal has been struck that everyone is pleased with. 

“Gary will be 65 when he leaves; frankly, he isn’t getting younger and just feels the time is right to focus solely on his mogul interests outside the BBC – namely his Goalhanger podcasting business which is becoming huge Stateside.”

Lineker, 63, has hosted the much-loved BBC show since 1999 and, for many, is the face of the Premier League on free-to-air TV.

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The star hasn’t just put his own spin on the show with his presenting style though, but also with a tweak he helped the BBC make back in 2004.

It came after the Beeb had lost the rights to show Premier League highlights to broadcasting rival ITV in 2001.

When winning the rights back in 2004, Lineker wanted to ensure the coverage was the best it could be with plans to “stop fans moaning”.

The retired Barcelona and Spurs striker requested that the show provided highlights for EVERY Premier League game, something it had not done up until that point.

Lineker explained the moment it all changed in an interview with BBC Breakfast back in August, he said: “When it came back, when we got the rights back, I said, ‘Is there any way we could show all the games?’

“We found a way of doing it and I thought, ‘Right, we finally won’t get people moaning that they’re never on Match of the Day‘.”

Since that decision, the show was changed forever with Match of the Day now showing every match in one show so fans up and down the nation can see how their side got on.

Although Lineker tried his best to stop fans moaning, the 80-time England international revealed that viewers found something else to complain about instead – the programme’s running order.

He added: “But of course then it becomes about where they are on Match of the Day, on the running order! ‘We’re always last’.”

SunSport understands that the BBC is now planning a number of shake-ups to revive the format once Lineker leaves.

A source added: “The BBC are desperate not to see figures haemorrhage and want to maximise on the show’s current popularity.

“They will bring in some exciting new measures over the next few years, whilst not reinventing the wheel.”