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Is it just me or is there something strange about Gary Linekar?
{{Infobox Football biography
| playername = Gary Lineker
| image = [[Image:Lineker waxwork.jpg|180px|]]
| fullname = Gary Winston Lineker
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1960|11|30|df=y}}
| cityofbirth = [[Leicester]]
| countryofbirth = [[England]]
| height = {{height|m=1.77}}
| nickname = Links, Winston,<br>The Queen Mother of Football
| position = [[Striker]]
| youthyears = 1976&ndash;1978
| youthclubs = [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]
| years = 1978&ndash;1985<br>1985&ndash;1986<br>1986&ndash;1989<br>1989&ndash;1992<br>1992&ndash;1994
| clubs = [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]<br>[[Everton F.C.|Everton]]<br>[[FC Barcelona]]<br>[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]<br>[[Nagoya Grampus|Nagoya Grampus Eight]]<br>'''Total'''
| caps(goals) = 194 {{0}}(95)<br>{{0}}41 {{0}}(30)<br>103 {{0}}(43)<br>105 {{0}}(67)<br>{{0}}23 {{0}}{{0}}(9)<br>'''466 (244)'''
| nationalyears = 1984-1992
| nationalteam = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps(goals) = {{0}}80 {{0}}(48)
}}
'''Gary Winston'''<ref>Lineker was born on the 86th birthday of former [[Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]], hence his middle name of Winston.</ref> '''Lineker''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born [[30 November]] [[1960]] in [[Leicester]]) is a former [[England|English]] international [[soccer|football]] [[striker]] who scored ten goals in two [[FIFA World Cup|World Cups]] for the [[England national football team|England national team]] and is currently a [[Broadcasting of sports events|sports broadcaster]] for the [[BBC]].


BTW recently Gary Linekar admitted 'i like men!'
Since retiring from playing in 1994, Lineker has featured in several television commercials for [[Walkers]] [[Potato chip|Crisps]].

Lineker's sense of positioning and tap-ins earned him a reputation as one of England's most prolific strikers of all-time, although this style of play sometimes provoked accusations that he was a "goal hanger" always looking to capitalize on the efforts of others. During his professional career, Lineker is noted for never having been cautioned or sent off by the referee. He studied the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Japanese language|Japanese]] languages,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cilt.org.uk/promoting/celeblinguists/celeblinguists.htm | title=Celebrity linguists | publisher=[[National Centre for Languages]] | accessdate=2007-06-07}}</ref> which allowed him to adjust better than most of his compatriots when playing for foreign clubs, and also to make a smooth transition into his role as a [[pundit (expert)|pundit]] and sports broadcaster.

==Early life==
Lineker first attended Linden primary school in [[Evington]] and then went to the [http://www.cityleicester.leicester.sch.uk City of Leicester School] on ''Downing Drive'' in Evington. He joined Leicester City FC in 1977.

==Club career==
===Leicester City (1977-1985)===
Lineker began his career at his home town club of [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] when he left school in 1977. Lineker began scoring prolifically in the early 1980s, helping Leicester win promotion to the First Division in 1980 and again in 1983. During his time at [[Filbert Street]] he finished twice amongst the top flight's leading scorers and winning his first England call up. He helped Leicester win promotion to the top flight in 1983 and was the [[Football League First Division|First Division's]] joint top goalscorer in [[1984-85 in English football|1984-85]] (tied on 24 goals with [[Kerry Dixon]]). By this stage, however, he was attracting the attention of bigger clubs, and a move from [[Filbert Street]] was looking certain.

===Everton (1985-1986)===
In the 1985 close season, Lineker was sold to defending league champions [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] for £800,000, and scored 40 goals in 52 games for his new team. He was again the First Division's leading goal scorer, this time with 30 goals, and helped Everton finish second in the league. While he was at Everton, they reached the [[FA Cup]] final for the third year in a row but they lost 3-1 to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], despite Lineker giving them an early lead. Liverpool ([[The double|double winners]]) had also pipped Everton to the title by just two points.

===Barcelona (1986-1989)===
After a strong showing at the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]] in [[Mexico]], [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] signed Lineker for £2,200,000. Barcelona were being managed by former [[Queen's Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]] boss [[Terry Venables]], who had also brought in [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Wales national football team|Wales]] striker [[Mark Hughes]].

His [[FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Shoe - Top Goalscorers|Golden Shoe]]-winning performance at the finals led to much anticipation of success at the [[Camp Nou|Nou Camp]], and he didn't disappoint, scoring 21 goals in 41 games during his first season, including a [[hat-trick]] in a 3-2 win over arch rivals [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_legends_gary_lineker.html|title=Gary Lineker|accessdate=2008-03-09|publisher=Talk Football}}</ref>. Barcelona went on to win the [[Copa del Rey]] in 1988 and the [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]] in 1989. However, Barcelona coach [[Johan Cruijff]] decided to play Lineker on the right of the midfield and he eventually lost his place on the first team.

===Tottenham Hotspur (1989-1992)===
[[Alex Ferguson]] of [[Manchester United]] attempted to sign Lineker to partner his ex-Barcelona team-mate [[Mark Hughes]] in attack, but Lineker spurned the Manchester club. Instead, he signed with [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] in [[July]] [[1989]]. Over three seasons, he scored 67 goals in 105 games and winning the [[FA Cup]] at [[White Hart Lane]]. He finished as top scorer in the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] in the [[1989-90 in English football|1989&ndash;90 season]], scoring 24 goals. He was in the Tottenham side that won the FA Cup in 1991 and was the top-division's second-highest goalscorer in [[1991-92 in English football|1991-92]] with 28 goals from 35 games, behind Ian Wright, who scored 29 times in 42 games. Despite Lineker's personal performance, Tottenham finished this final pre-[[Premier League]] season in 15th place.

===Nagoya Grampus Eight (1992-1994)===
Lineker ended his career with an injury-plagued spell in [[Japan|Japan's]] [[J. League]] with [[Nagoya Grampus Eight]] where he made 23 appearances over two seasons, scoring nine times, before announcing his retirement in the autumn of 1994.

During an illustrious career, he had been [[PFA Players' Player of the Year]] in 1986 and placed third in voting for the inaugural [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] in 1990 - the award ultimately went to [[Germany]]'s [[Lothar Matthaus]]. Despite his long career, Lineker was never cautioned by a referee for foul play (never once receiving a [[Misconduct (football)#Cautionable offences (Yellow Card)|yellow]] or [[Misconduct (football)#Sending-off offences (Red Card)|red card]]).

==National team career==
He first played for the [[England national football team|England]] national team against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] in 1984. He played five games in the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]], and was top scorer of the tournament with six goals, winning the [[FIFA World Cup awards#Golden BOOT- Top Goalscorers|Golden Boot]], making him the first and to this day only English player to have done so. He played most of the tournament wearing a lightweight cast on his forearm.

In 1988, Lineker played in the [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship|European Football Championship]], but failed to score as England lost all three Group games. It was later established that he had been suffering from [[hepatitis]]<ref>C Malam, p100</ref> <ref>The first was against [[Spain]] [[18 February]] [[1987]] and the second time against [[Malaysia]] [[12 June]] [[1991]]</ref>.

In the [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]], he scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals. He scored an equaliser against [[West Germany national football team|West Germany]] after [[Andreas Brehme]] sent England 1-0 down, but the West Germans triumphed in the penalty shoot-out and went on to win the trophy.

He retired from international football with 80 [[cap (sport)|caps]] and 48 goals, one fewer goal than [[Bobby Charlton]]'s England record (although Charlton took 26 more caps to score his one extra goal). In what proved to be his last England match, against [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] at [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 92]], he was controversially substituted by England coach [[Graham Taylor (football manager)|Graham Taylor]], in favour of Arsenal striker [[Alan M. Smith|Alan Smith]], ultimately denying Lineker the chance to equal Charlton's record of 49 goals. He had earlier missed a [[penalty kick|penalty]] that would have brought him level, in a pre-tournament friendly against [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]. He was visibily upset at the decision, not looking at Taylor as he took the bench.

He scored four goals in an England match on two occasions<ref>Malam, p140&141</ref>.

==Honours==

*'''[[FIFA World Cup awards|Fifa World Cup - Golden Shoe]]''': 1986 (Mexico)
*'''[[Copa del Rey]]''': 1988
*'''[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]''': 1989
*'''[[FA Cup]]''': 1991; Runner-up 1986
*'''First Division (now [[Premier League]])''': Runner-up 1986
*'''English league top scorer''': 1985, 1986, 1990

== International Goals ==
:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first.''
{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Result !! Competition !! Scored
|-
| 1 || [[1985-03-26]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|IRL}} || 2-1 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 2-3 || [[1985-06-16]] || [[Memorial Coliseum]], [[Los Angeles]] || {{fb|USA}} || 5-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 2
|-
| 4-6 || [[1985-10-16]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|TUR}} || 5-0 || [[1986 FIFA World Cup qualification]] || 3
|-
| 7-9 || [[1986-06-11]] || [[Estadio Tecnológico]], [[Monterrey]] || {{fb|POL}} || 3-0 || [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] || 3
|-
| 10-11 || [[1986-06-18]] || [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Mexico City]] || {{fb|PAR}} || 3-0 || [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] || 2
|-
| 12 || [[1986-06-22]] || [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Mexico City]] || {{fb|ARG}} || 1-2 || [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] || 1
|-
| 13-14 || [[1986-10-15]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|NIR}} || 3-0 || [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying]] || 2
|-
| 15-18 || [[1987-02-18]] || [[Santiago Bernabéu]], [[Madrid]] || {{fb|ESP}} || 4-2 || [[Friendly match]] || 4
|-
| 19 || [[1987-05-19]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|BRA}} || 1-1 || [[Friendly match]] ([[Rous Cup]]) || 1
|-
| 20 || [[1987-09-09]] || [[Rheinstadion]], [[Düsseldorf]] || {{fb|FRG}} || 1-3 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 20-23 || [[1987-05-10]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|TUR}} || 8-0 || [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying]] || 3
|-
| 24 || [[1988-05-25]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|COL}} || 1-1 || [[Friendly match]] ([[Rous Cup]]) || 1
|-
| 25 || [[1988-11-22]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] ||{{fb|Netherlands}} || 2-2 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 26 || [[1988-05-28]] || [[Stade Olympique de la Pontaise]], [[Lausanne]] || {{fb|SUI}} || 1-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 27 || [[1989-04-26]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Albania}} || 5-0 || [[1990 FIFA World Cup qualification]] || 1
|-
| 28 || [[1989-06-03]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Poland}} || 3-0 || [[1990 FIFA World Cup qualification]] || 1
|-
| 29 || [[1989-06-07]] || [[Parken Stadium]], [[Copenhagen]] || {{fb|Denmark}} || 1-1 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 30 || [[1990-03-26]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Brazil}} || 1-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 31 || [[1990-05-15]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Denmark}} || 1-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 32 || [[1990-06-11]] || [[Stadio Sant'Elia]], [[Cagliari]] || {{fb|Republic of Ireland}} || 1-1 || [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] || 1
|-
| 33-34 || [[1990-07-01]] || [[Stadio San Paolo]], [[Naples]] || {{fb|Cameroon}} || 3-2 || [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] || 2
|-
| 35 || [[1990-07-04]] || [[Stadio delle Alpi]], [[Turin]] || {{fb|FRG}} || 1-1 (3-4 on pens) || [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] || 1
|-
| 36 || [[1990-04-02]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Hungary}} || 1-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 37 || [[1990-10-17]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Poland}} || 2-0 || [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying]] || 1
|-
| 38-39 || [[1991-02-06]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|Cameroon}} || 2-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 2
|-
| 40 || [[1991-07-26]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|ARG}} || 2-2 || [[Friendly match]] ([[Rous Cup|England Challenge Cup]]) || 1
|-
| 41 || [[1991-06-03]] || [[Mt Smart Stadium]], [[Auckland]] || {{fb|NZL}} || 1-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 42-45 || [[1991-06-12]] || [[Stadium Merdeka]], [[Kuala Lumpur]] || {{fb|Malaysia}} || 4-2 || [[Friendly match]] || 4
|-
| 46 || [[1991-11-13]] || [[Stadion Miejski]], [[Poznań]] || {{fb|Poland}} || 1-1 || [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying]] || 1
|-
| 47 || [[1992-02-19]] || [[Wembley Stadium (1923)]] || {{fb|France}} || 2-0 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|-
| 48 || [[1992-04-29]] || [[Luzhniki Stadium]], [[Moscow]] || {{fb|Commonwealth of Independent States}} || 2-2 || [[Friendly match]] || 1
|}

==Statistics==
{{Football player statistics 1|YY}}
{{Football player statistics 2|ENG|YY}}
|-
|[[The Football League 1978-79|1978-79]]||rowspan="7"|[[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]||rowspan="2"|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]||7||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||7||1
|-
|[[The Football League 1979-80|1979-80]]||19||3||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||20||3
|-
|[[The Football League 1980-81|1980-81]]||[[Football League First Division|First Division]]||9||2||1||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||3
|-
|[[The Football League 1981-82|1981-82]]||rowspan="2"|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]||39||17||5||2||3||0||colspan="2"|-||47||19
|-
|[[The Football League 1982-83|1982-83]]||40||26||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||43||26
|-
|[[The Football League 1983-84|1983-84]]||rowspan="2"|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]||39||22||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||41||22
|-
|[[The Football League 1984-85|1984-85]]||41||24||4||3||3||2||colspan="2"|-||48||29
|-
|[[The Football League 1985-86|1985-86]]||[[Everton F.C.|Everton]]||[[Football League First Division|First Division]]||41||30||6||5||5||3||colspan="2"|-||52||38
{{Football player statistics 2|ESP|YY}}
|-
|[[La Liga 1986-87|1986-87]]||rowspan="3"|[[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]||rowspan="3"|[[La Liga]]||41||21||1||1||colspan="2"|-||8||0||50||22
|-
|[[La Liga 1987-88|1987-88]]||36||16||5||2||colspan="2"|-||9||2||50||20
|-
|[[La Liga 1988-89|1988-89]]||26||6||4||1||colspan="2"|-||8||4||38||11
{{Football player statistics 2|ENG|YY}}
|-
|[[The Football League 1989-90|1989-90]]||rowspan="3"|[[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]||rowspan="3"|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]||38||24||1||0||6||2||colspan="2"|-||45||26
|-
|[[The Football League 1990-91|1990-91]]||32||15||6||3||5||1||colspan="2"|-||43||19
|-
|[[The Football League 1991-92|1991-92]]||35||28||2||0||5||5||8||2||50||35
{{Football player statistics 2|JPN|YY}}
|-
|[[J. League 1993|1993]]||rowspan="2"|[[Nagoya Grampus|Nagoya Grampus Eight]]||rowspan="2"|[[J. League]]||6||3||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||6||3
|-
|[[J. League 1994|1994]]||17||6||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||17||6
{{Football player statistics 3|3|ENG}}340||192||28||14||30||13||8||2||406||221
{{Football player statistics 4|ESP}}103||43||10||4||colspan="2"|-||25||6||138||53
{{Football player statistics 4|JPN}}23||9||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||23||9
{{Football player statistics 5}}466||244||38||18||30||13||33||8||567||283
|}

==Post-playing career==
Lineker is a freeman of the City of Leicester (which entitles him to graze his sheep - should he have any - on Town Hall Square) and he is often referred to as "Leicester's favourite son". As a youngster, he famously worked on his family's stall in Leicester Market. Lineker still helped out on the stall at the height of his playing career during the late 1980s and early 1990s, though usually only in the closed season. His links with cricket were renewed when he was invited to become Honorary President of Kent-based wandering cricket club, Paraguayan Elbows CC.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.paraguayan-elbowscc.co.uk/history.htm | title=The story behind the Paraguayan Elbows CC | accessdate=2006-11-13}}</ref> The club, which was founded in 1986, was named in his honour after an incident in that summer's World Cup match between England and Paraguay.

In 2003 Lineker was inducted into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]]. He once remarked "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win." (England had been defeated by Germany in the semi-finals during the 1990 FIFA World Cup)

In October 2002, Lineker announced a £5 million rescue plan for cash-strapped club Leicester City, describing his involvement as charity rather than an ego trip. He said that he would invest a six-figure sum and other members of his consortium would invest a similar amount.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/2352155.stm Lineker unveils Leicester rescue bid BBC Sport October 2002]</ref> Lineker met the fans' group to persuade them to try and raise money to rescue his former club. Another six-figure sum donor was [[Emile Heskey]], who had not only followed in Lineker's footsteps by going to the same school as him, but also went on to play for Leicester City and England. Lineker is now honorary vice-president of Leicester City, along with [[Gordon Banks]] and [[Peter Shilton]], and the north stand of the club's [[Walkers Stadium]] is named in his honour.

In 2005, Lineker was sued for [[slander and libel|defamation]] by Australian footballer [[Harry Kewell]] over comments Lineker had made writing in his column in the ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Sunday Telegraph]]'' about Kewell's transfer from [[Leeds United A.F.C.|Leeds United]] to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. However the jury was unable to reach a verdict. It transpired in the case that the article had actually been [[Ghostwriter|ghost-written]] by a journalist at the ''Sunday Telegraph'' following a telephone interview with Lineker.<ref>{{cite news | date=[[2006-07-04]] | url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1520864,00.html | title=
Lineker and Kewell settle libel case out of court | publisher=[[The Guardian]] | accessdate=2006-11-13}}</ref>

===Personal life===
Lineker married Michelle in 1986, but they divorced in August 2006. They announced their split in April 2006. They have four sons, George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus. His oldest son George survived a rare form of [[Leukemia|leukaemia]] as a baby in the early 1990s; Gary now supports children's cancer charity [[CLIC Sargent]] and has since appeared in adverts encouraging people to give blood as a result. The split is described as "amicable".<ref>{{cite news | date=[[2006-04-30]] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4960106.stm | title=Gary Lineker and wife to separate | publisher=[[BBC News]] | accessdate=2006-11-13}}</ref>

He is currently the partner of [http://www.daniellebux.co.uk Danielle Bux] (born c. 1979), a mother of one<ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article800686.ece Gary Lineker | Host on beach stroll with curvy girlfriend Danielle Bux | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.

===Broadcasting===
Following retirement from professional football, he developed a career in the media, initially on [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] and as a football pundit before replacing [[Des Lynam]] as the [[BBC]]'s anchorman for football coverage, including their flagship football television programme ''[[Match of the Day]]'', and as a team captain on the acerbic sports [[game show]], ''[[They Think It's All Over (TV series)|They Think It's All Over]]'' from 1995 to 2003, where he was heavily (though affectionately) ridiculed for being a "goal hanger", described as "lethal from twelve inches" -- a parody of Lineker's short-range scoring prowess. Following the departure of [[Steve Rider]] from the [[BBC]], Lineker, who is a keen recreational golfer with a [[Golf handicap|handicap]] of four, became the new presenter for the [[BBC]]'s [[golf]] coverage. However his debut in this role at the [[The Masters Tournament|The Masters]] was much derided - one commentator saying that "...keeping him in the anchor's chair would be a major own goal."{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However he continued to front the BBC's coverage of the Masters and [[The Open]], where he put his language skills to good use by giving an impromptu interview in Spanish with Argentinian [[Andrés Romero]].<ref>[http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=42724 Church Times - '''Simon Parke''': A sporting chance for unity<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

He presented a six-part TV Series for the BBC in 1998 (directed by Lloyd Stanton) called "Golden Boots"<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149464/ "Golden Boots" (1998)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, with other football celebrities. It was an extensive history of the World Cup focusing on the 'Golden Boots' (top scorers).

In 2001, Lineker was approached by game makers [[Codemasters]] to front the [[LMA Manager series]] on [[PlayStation]]. Lineker would pair up with [[Alan Hansen]], fellow MOTD pundit to voice the post match comments on the game, with [[Barry Davies]] voicing the commentary. Since then the game has sold millions of copies and in LMA 2006, Lineker voices news items and the cup draws on the game. In 2004 he was also chosen to front the Codemasters England International Football game, with him voicing the team selection and the pre- and post-match menus.

In 2002, Lineker took on his first acting role, barring roles playing himself in films such as ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'' or in the adapted for television stage play [[An Evening with Gary Lineker]], as the voice of ''Underground Ernie'' on the BBC's children's channel, [[CBeebies]]. Both Gary and Michelle Lineker make a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-them' appearance as diners leaving a restaurant in the 1993 [[Eric Idle]] film ''[[Splitting Heirs]]''.

===Walkers advertisements===
His popularity has enabled him to appear in a light-hearted series of commercials for [[Walkers]], playing a comical role as an arch-villain which sends up his reputation as a nice guy. He has been fronting these adverts since 1995, making this one of the longest running advertising campaigns ever. [[Walkers]], a Leicester-based British producer of snack foods, temporarily named their salt & vinegar crisps after Lineker in the late 1990s - they were labelled 'Salt-n-Lineker. This was also due to the fact that his favourite flavour crisps are Salt and Vinegar. '<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../columnists.html?in_page_id=1951&in_article_id=430952&in_author_id=345 Lineker forced to take crisp break] Daily Mail</ref>

== Charitable activity ==
Gary Lineker will face questioning by a former England rugby player as part of Cancer Research UK's political Turn the Tables initiative.<ref>[http://www.cafonline.org/default.aspx?page=15216 "Gary Lineker to face questioning for [[Cancer Research UK]] charity fundraiser"], ''[[Charities Aid Foundation]]'', [[2008-03-03]]. Retrieved on [[2008-03-04]].</ref> The event will take place on April 24th at London's Cafe Royal and will allow sporting heroes to question sports journalists. [[Cancer Research UK]] hopes to raise over £40,000 for the charity's life-saving work.

==Quotations==
The following quote is attributed to Gary Lineker: "Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."

== Videogames ==
[[Software house]] [[Gremlin]] released [[Gary Lineker's Superstar Soccer]] in 1987, [[Gary Lineker's Superskills]] in 1988, and [[Gary Lineker's Hot Shot]] in 1989 for [[8-bit]] platforms

==References==
{{citation style}}
''Gary Lineker: Strikingly Different'', Colin Malam, Stanley Paul Publications, London, 1993 ISBN 0-09-175424-0

{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Gary Lineker}}
* {{soccerbase|4536|Gary Lineker}}
* [http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/Inductees/garylineker.htm English Football Hall of Fame Profile]
* [http://www.thefa.com/Features/EnglishDomestic/Postings/2003/06/53899.htm Gary Lineker's Football Career Home and Abroad]
*{{imdb name|id=0512633}}

{{start box}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of England national football team captains|England football captain]]|before=[[Bryan Robson]] |after=[[Tony Adams (footballer)|Tony Adams]]/[[David Platt (footballer)|David Platt]]|years=1990&ndash;1992}}
{{s-ach}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ian Rush]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Football League First Division|First Division]] top scorer|years=1984&ndash;85 (shared with [[Kerry Dixon]])<br />1985&ndash;86}}
{{s-aft|rows=3|after=[[Clive Allen]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Neville Southall]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year]]|years=1986}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Peter Reid]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[PFA Players' Player of the Year]]|years=1986}}
{{succession box|title=[[Football League First Division|First Division]] top scorer|before=[[Alan M. Smith|Alan Smith]]|after=[[Alan M. Smith|Alan Smith]]|years=1989&ndash;90}}
{{succession box|title=[[Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year]]|before=[[Gordon Strachan]] |after=[[Chris Waddle]]|years=1992}}
{{succession box|title=[[FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Shoe - Top Goalscorers|FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe]]|before=[[Paolo Rossi]] |after=[[Salvatore Schillaci]]|years=[[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Royal Television Society|RTS Television Sport Awards]]<br>Best Sports Presenter|before=[[Sue Barker]]|after=[[Clare Balding]]|years=2002}}
{{succession box|title=[[Royal Television Society|RTS Television Sport Awards]]<br>Best Sports Presenter|before=[[Clare Balding]]|after=[[Mark Nicholas]]|years=2004}}
{{s-media}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Des Lynam]]|
title=Regular Host of ''[[Match of the Day]]''|
years=1999&ndash;present|
after= Incumbent|
}}
{{end box}}

{{England Squad 1986 World Cup}}
{{England Squad 1988 European Championship}}
{{England Squad 1990 World Cup}}
{{England Squad 1992 European Championship}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

<!-- [[Category:Alumni of King's College London]] -->

{{Persondata
|NAME= Lineker, Gary Winston
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Lineker, Gary
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Footballer, sports broadcaster
|DATE OF BIRTH= {{Birth date and age|1960|11|30|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Leicester]], [[England]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{Lifetime|1960||Lineker, Gary}}
[[Category:English footballers]]
[[Category:British association football commentators]]
[[Category:England international footballers]]
[[Category:England B international footballers]]
[[Category:FC Barcelona footballers]]
[[Category:Everton F.C. players]]
[[Category:Leicester City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Nagoya Grampus Eight players]]
[[Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players]]
[[Category:La Liga footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain]]
[[Category:English expatriate footballers|Lineker, Gary]]
[[Category:FIFA 100]]
[[Category:1986 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1988 players]]
[[Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1992 players]]
[[Category:UEFA Pro Licence holders]]
[[Category:British sports broadcasters]]
[[Category:BBC people]]
[[Category:The Football League players]]
[[Category:Expatriate footballers in Japan]]
[[Category:J. League players]]
[[Category:People from Leicester]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees]]

[[ar:غاري لينيكر]]
[[bg:Гари Линекер]]
[[ca:Gary Winston Lineker]]
[[cs:Gary Lineker]]
[[da:Gary Lineker]]
[[de:Gary Lineker]]
[[es:Gary Lineker]]
[[fr:Gary Lineker]]
[[ko:게리 리네커]]
[[hr:Gary Lineker]]
[[id:Gary Lineker]]
[[it:Gary Lineker]]
[[he:גארי ליניקר]]
[[ka:გარი ლინეკერი]]
[[lt:Gary Lineker]]
[[hu:Gary Lineker]]
[[mr:गॅरी लिनेकर]]
[[nl:Gary Lineker]]
[[ja:ゲーリー・リネカー]]
[[no:Gary Lineker]]
[[pl:Gary Lineker]]
[[pt:Gary Lineker]]
[[ru:Линекер, Гари]]
[[simple:Gary Lineker]]
[[sk:Gary Lineker]]
[[sr:Гари Линекер]]
[[fi:Gary Lineker]]
[[sv:Gary Lineker]]
[[vi:Gary Lineker]]
[[tr:Gary Lineker]]
[[zh:加里·莱因克尔]]

Revision as of 09:35, 30 September 2008

Is it just me or is there something strange about Gary Linekar?

BTW recently Gary Linekar admitted 'i like men!'

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