Gary Lineker’s final Match of the Day show ends with SEVEN-MINUTE tribute as Alan Shearer, Alan Hansen and Ian Wright send heartfelt messages [Video]

Gary Lineker‘s final Match of the Day ended with a seven-minute tribute video which charted his journey from professional football to esteemed broadcaster.

Lineker confirmed his departure from the BBC on Monday and ‘apologised unreservedly’ for sharing a social media post about Zionism with a rat emoji – a derogatory term used by Nazi Germany about Jewish people. 

He will no longer front the BBC’s World Cup 2026 coverage in America, Mexico and Canada – and brought the curtain down on 26 years of hosting Match of the Day on Sunday, the final day of the Premier League season. 

Lineker was joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on the broadcast with fans eager to see how his farewell would be managed.

The 64-year-old only briefly acknowledged his exit at the stat of the show, joking that ‘it wasn’t meant to end this way’.

And it was a fairly normal episode until highlights of all 10 games had …