Gary Lineker’s favourite and worst MOTD moments - ‘I had tears down my cheeks’

Gary Lineker narrowed down his best and worst moments from presenting Match of the Day.

This season will be the Tottenham Hotspur and England legend's last as the host of the BBC highlights programme. While he will be fronting the coverage for the 2026 World Cup, he won't be anchoring the Premier League round-up from beyond this campaign.

Lineker has been hosting the show since 1999, where he has seen all sorts of great and unpredictable moments. However, the best and worst occasions of his time on the show both focused on his beloved Leicester City.

His worst moment is often regarded as being one of the more entertaining and amusing things to happen in the show's long history. When asked to choose his favourite Match of the Day moment, his answer was certain.

He quickly replied on The Rest Is Football podcast: "You know what one it is, when Leicester won the league." When Micah Richards asked if he particularly enjoyed presenting while wearing nothing but a pair of Leicester boxer shorts in front of millions of viewers, he answered: "No, not that one, that was my least favourite one."

Lineker had to present the show in his underwear after his unwise wager during the 2015/16 campaign. In December 2015, he said he would present the show in his boxer shorts if Leicester, who had been 5000/1 outsiders, won the Premier League.

The Foxes would go on to claim the title in what is widely considered to be the biggest football shock in English football history. While he wishes he did not have to strip down, he will never forget the joy he experienced.

Image: BBC) BBC)

He added: "My favourite one was when Leicester received the Premier League trophy on the final day of the season. When Claudio Ranieri came out with [Andrea] Bocelli.

"I got so emotional. I was sat in the office and I had tears down my cheeks. That was definitely my favourite moment.”

After he made his decision, Shearer asked if Leicester's FA Cup triumph over Chelsea in the 2021 competition was also one of his favourite moments. Brendan Rodgers' side were heavy underdogs when they faced the west Londoners at Wembley Stadium.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

A wonder strike from 30 yards out was enough for Youri Tielemans to win the famous old trophy beneath the Wembley arch. It was a dramatic match which also saw former Foxes defender Ben Chilwell grab a late equaliser for the opposition, only for it to be disallowed for a narrow offside decision after a VAR review.

Looking back on that game, Lineker added: “That was special. But, I think, we’re talking about the actual Match of the Day, but I guess the FA Cup final is a Match of the Day in that sense. Yes, those two. They are two things I thought I would never witness in my lifetime. They were my special ones.”

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