Gary Lineker has had a real rollercoaster of 2023 so far. The BBC Match of the Day host came under a lot of scrutiny from England’s politicians for a comment he made on the country’s change in refugee policy – comparing the new one to be similar to what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany.
With BBC being a government-funded organization, they were put under pressure to fire him from his role. Lineker was suspended for a small point but found a lot of support from his fans and colleagues on social media. The likes of Ian Wright and Alan Shearer threatened to quit the Match of the Day show if Lineker was not reinstated into his role as its host.
Ultimately, the BBC relented and allowed Lineker back into the show. That was because the former Tottenham Hotspur striker works as a freelancer for them and not a contracted employee, which gives him the freedom to make comments on political events.
Lineker’s popularity levels have soared since that drama and he’s also gained widespread respect for sticking to his words and not apologizing for it either. He’s ended up getting more publicity roles after that and seems to have become a bit of a role model as well.
Gary Lineker shows off his modeling work for Next
Lineker has surprised quite a few fans by posting pictures of him modeling for UK-based retail chain Next in their luxury fashion category. He can be seen posing in a variety of impressive suits line, which Next has created for him.
The Next X Gary Lineker attire line includes suits, shirts as well as normal polo t-shirts as well. The average price of a suit is around £100, while shirts are over £40. Of course, being an ambassador for Next, Lineker will receive money from them from the sales as well as what he receives for modeling for Next.
What is Gary Lineker’s Net Worth in 2023?
Lineker is the highest-paid pundit on the BBC Match of the Day show, having been hosting it since the late 1990s! As per reports, he earned an impressive salary of £1.35 million from BBC last year.
Apart from Next, Lineker has done endorsements for other companies as well – which includes George Cleverly, Hand & Lock, Sunspell, and Walkers. The Englishman has been endorsing the crisps brand Walkers since 1995 and reportedly earns £1 million per year from them too. He’s also worked as a host and pundit for other TV channels like Al Jazeera Sports, BT Sport, La Liga TV, and the NBC Sports Network in his career too.
Lineker has been able to rack in a lucrative fortune for himself and has a net worth of £30 million in 2023. He also has his own production company named Goalhanger Films, which focuses on access documentaries on footballers.
The Englishman is not known to have lost any sponsorships or endorsements because of his controversy earlier this year and subsequent suspension from the BBC. He will receive his full salary for his duties as Match of the Day host and also be able to go through with his several endorsement routines.
Before his career hosting Match of the Day and working as a football pundit, Lineker had a highly successful playing career as well. He played for Spurs and Barcelona, as well as excelling for the England National Team in major competitions.
Lineker was pretty well paid back in his playing career too, though not as much as what he earns from his current exploits. The Englishman is definitely here to stay as Match of the Day’s host and his recent heroics proved how beloved Lineker still is in England.
