BBC star who slammed Gary Lineker's 'outrageous' MOTD salary and how much he's paid now

BBC star who slammed Gary Lineker's 'outrageous' MOTD salary and how much he's paid now Newspoint | 17/05/2025 00:39:19

Gary Lineker's eye-watering £1.75million pay packet was once slammed as "outrageous" by ex-Mastermind presenter John Humphrys.

The former England striker has consistently been at the pinnacle of the BBC's top earners list. After a self-imposed pay cut in 2019, hefty salary was slashed to £1.3m, and Lineker comfortably remained the Beeb's highest-paid star.

This wage reduction came about as part of negotiations for a five-year deal with the corporation set to end this year. The broadcasting veteran is set to call time on his MOTD career at the season's end after an illustrious 26-year stint fronting the BBC's marquee sports programme.

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John Humphrys, who spent 34 years presenting the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, was quizzed on his take regarding Lineker's decision to cut his earnings.

Back in 2019, the Welsh broadcaster remarked: "We don't know how much so ask me when we know. I don't know, I thought £1.75million for a wee bit of chatting was outrageous."

News of Lineker stepping down from MOTD was revealed last November, and it was later unveiled that a trio consisting of Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, and Kelly Cates would be taking turns as his replacement.

In a candid discussion with journalist Amol Rajan, Lineker intimated his belief that the BBC harboured intentions for him to depart from his much-revered MOTD role. In an interview with Rajan last month, Lineker said: "Well, perhaps they want me to leave," and added: "There was the sense of that."

He acknowledged that the cycle of broadcasting rights for matches made his departure likely, but he has since found himself in a comfortable situation, continuing to lead coverage of the FA Cup and the World Cup.

Looking back on leaving Match of the Day, Lineker shared with Rajan: "It's time. I've done it for a long time, it's been brilliant. In the end, I think there was a feeling that, because it was a new rights period, it was a chance to change the programme.

"I think it was their preference that I didn't do Match of the Day for one more year, so they could bring in new people. So it's slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but to be honest, it's a scenario that suits me perfectly."