‘It’s hard to know which players could become presenters, but I see two current footballers who could be good pundits’ Gary Lineker tips duo for TV careers after retirement

Gary Lineker has successfully hosted Match of the Day for 26 years, after making the transition from footballer to television presenter – and now he’s tipped the next two players who could make the move into broadcasting.

Lineker made the transition into television after scoring 48 goals in 80 games for England, and starring for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur.

No Three Lions player in history has scored more goals at World Cups than Lineker, who claimed the golden boot after netting six times at the 1986 tournament, then added four more in 1990.

Lineker names potential TV stars

Lineker first gained experience as a pundit, then moved into presenting, working on Football Focus.

He learned from Des Lynam, before the legend moved to ITV in 1999 and Lineker succeeded him as Match of the Day host.

The move from football to presenting was far from common. “Jimmy Hill had done it for a bit and Bob Wilson did it,” says Lineker, in an exclusive interview for FourFourTwo magazine.

“But I looked at other sports and saw Sue Barker and David Gower, two people who’d played at the top of their sports, and thought, ‘Why has football not had that? It’s just general presenters who do the football all of the time’.”

Asked if there were any current footballers who could move into television, either as a presenter or a pundit, and two names quickly sprung to mind for Lineker.

“It’s hard to know who could be a TV presenter at some point in the future, because it’s very different, though there are quite a few I could see being really good pundits,” he said.

“James Maddison for one, and Conor Coady has already done a lot of television. You can see which ones are decent in interviews. All-round presenting is a separate skill.”