Born:
November 30, 1960
in
Leicester
Best Known For:
Being an England football hero, a TV pundit and crisps promoter.
Early-life:
Born Gary Winston Lineker on November 30, 1960, in Leicester, where his parents were greengrocers. He has a younger brother, Wayne, who is a member of The Only Way Is Essex cast. Gary's final report after leaving the local grammar school with just four O-levels said: "Must devote less of his time to sport if he wants to be a success." After ditching cricket to concentrate on football, he achieved his childhood dream of playing for Leicester City when he signed for them as a teenager.
Career:
After making his name as a free-scoring striker with Leicester, he moved to Everton. He enjoyed phenomenal success in Mexico during the 1986 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot as top scorer. After that, Lineker signed for Barcelona, returned to England to play with Tottenham Hotspur three years later, and finished his career in Japan with Grampus 8 in 1994. He was never booked or sent off, won 80 caps for England, and is the country's second highest scorer after Bobby Charlton. He now presents Match of the Day, and has built a reputation as a reliable TV regular, also fronting programmes during the Olympics and for Al Jazeera Sports and the NBC Sports Network.
Quote:
"Football is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always win."
Trivia:
Lineker has been fronting light-hearted adverts for Walkers Crisps since 1995.