Did You Know? 5 facts about player-turned-presenter Gary Lineker

SHOOT would like to wish Gary Lineker many happy returns as the former striker celebrates his 58th birthday today.

Lineker, who now presents BBC’s Match Of The Day and BT Sport’s Champions League coverage, scored 238 goals in 460 appearances in a career mostly spent on these shores, but also with stints in Spain and Japan.

After seven years at boyhood club Leicester City, Lineker went on to play for Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham, before hanging up his boots at Japanese club, Nagoya Grampus.

Alongside a fruitful club career, Lineker also enjoyed eight years playing for his country, where he won the Golden Boot while playing for England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

To celebrate his birthday, SHOOT are picking out five facts you might not know about one of the nation’s finest footballing exports…

Mr. Nice Guy

You might be surprised to hear that in a career spanning between 1978 and 1994, Lineker did not pick up a single yellow or red card in that time.

In the game today, where referees are much stricter on dives and fouls, it would be interesting to see whether Lineker’s disciplinary record would look quite as clean had he played in 2018.

Flying the Flag Abroad

After netting 42 times for Barcelona between 1986 and 1989, Lineker held the record for the leading British scorer in La Liga for over two decades despite challenges from the likes of David Beckham and Michael Owen.

It was only in 2016 that his record was broken by another former Spurs man, Gareth Bale, who currently has 73 goals in Spain’s top flight.

Birthday Connections

Exactly 86 years to the day before Lineker was born, another fine Englishman was introduced to the world – Sir Winston Churchill.

In tribute to the former Prime Minister, Lineker’s parents gave him the middle name ‘Winston’.

Remember Your Roots

Lineker’s self-proclaimed love for Leicester City was demonstrated in 2002, when he invested a six-figure sum into a £5m rescue fund to save the Foxes from going into liquidation.

With the club’s future secured, Lineker would be rewarded 14 years later as he watched his beloved club remarkably win the Premier League.

Split Allegiances

Life could have turned out very different for Lineker had he chosen to pursue a cricket career over football.

Captain of the Leicestershire Schools cricket team from the ages of 11 to 16, he is a keen fan of the sport and has taken part in charity matches.