Daily Mail; Gary Lineker's final BBC appearance: Match of the Day star breaks down in tears and says 'it wasn't meant to end this way' as he says goodbye following anti-semitism row

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Gary Lineker welled up as he delivered his final Match of the Day speech, thanking viewers for their 'love and support' and sending a message to his successors.

The 64-year-old presenter was visibly moved by a seven-minute tribute featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola, Virgil van Dijk, Ian Wright, and even Andrea Bocelli.

Lineker hosted his final BBC show on Sunday night and hinted at the start that it 'wasn't meant to end this way' after being axed amid an antisemitism row.

The show was peppered with references to his departure from co-hosts, commentators, and even Liverpool boss Arne Slot before a moving finale.

He was axed last week after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur.

At the end of Sunday's show, wrapping up his £1.4million gig, he paid tribute to the wider team, saying: 'Let me take the opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier.

'Also, thanks to all those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort. From the editors to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs. Thank you all you're the very best. Everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits.

'It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. It's been utterly joyous.

'I'd like to wish Gabby (Logan), Mark (Chapman), and Kelly (Cates) all the best when they sit in the chair The programme is in the best of hands.

'My final thank you goes to all of you. Thank you for watching. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. It's been so special. I'm sorry that your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye.'

That speech followed an epic tribute from the great and good of punditry and football including co-hosts Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Wright, Danny Murphy, Alan Smith, Alan Hansen, Guy Mowbay, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Shilton, Shearer's sons, Van Dijk, Guardiola, Slot, Claudio Ranieri, and Bocelli.

'It wasn't meant to end this way,' he began at the start of the show, before a pause. 'But with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had left to talk about.'

He was joined by long-time friends Shearer and Richards, with whom he hosts the popular The Rest Is Football podcast. They gifted him a Match of the Day cap and a golden (well, bronze) boot.

And the BBC paid tribute to their anchor of 26 years, featuring a montage of some of his goals and early presenting work before the main titles sequence.

His final show was peppered with references to his departure.

Commentating on the Fulham vs Manchester City game, as Kevin De Bruyne was shown being substituted on, commentator Mark Scott quipped: 'One of the best in the business makes his final appearance in front of the Match of the Day cameras today. And you can of course say the same about Kevin De Bruyne here at Fulham!'

Richards also joked that Levi Colwill was 'like a prime Gary Lineker' for the movement for his goal against Nottingham Forest.

And Liverpool manager Arne Slot paid tribute to the outgoing presenter in an interview with him, saying: 'Thank you for being a great presenter of a BBC show I have watched many times when I lived in Holland and now still. Great what you did and (I would have) liked that I could give you a Liverpool shirt instead of the other clubs you played for.'

The former England football captain recently posted a video in which Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu attacks Israel's war in Gaza that had a cartoon image of a rat. Images of rats and other vermin were regularly used as tropes by Nazi Germany to depict Jewish people, as many of Lineker's critics pointed out.

Lineker confirmed his departure from the corporation earlier this month and 'apologised unreservedly' for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: 'I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for'.

He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC - where he was once the highest paid star - was 'the responsible course of action'.

The former England striker will not front the public broadcaster's coverage of the 2026 World Cup as planned, or coverage of the FA Cup next season. He will leave without a pay-off from his £1.4million salary.

The BBC stalwart has previously been vocal with his views on the Israeli invasion of Gaza following the October 7 attacks - among other issues - but is not thought to have ever publicly apologised for content he has shared.

Mr Lineker refused to say sorry in 2023 for comparing the then Tory government's rhetoric over its immigration policy to that of Nazi Germany.

The remark triggered a BBC suspension but this was lifted when colleagues walked out in support of the presenter.

The BBC's social media rules were then rewritten to say presenters of flagship programmes outside news and current affairs - including Match of the Day - have 'a particular responsibility to respect the BBC's impartiality, because of their profile on the BBC'.

Lineker, however, remained unrepentant about the series of incendiary tweets from 2023 that led to his suspension.

In an interview published on BBC2 last month, he said: 'I don't regret saying them publicly, because I was right - what I said, it was accurate.

'Why shouldn't I have an opinion on things? I'm a b***dy footballer who's turned into a sports presenter'.

In the same interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, he was asked whether it was part of his remit to give a view on Middle East politics.

Lineker said: 'I’m sorry. It’s more important than the BBC. What’s going on there [Gaza] is the mass murder of thousands of children — probably something that we should have a little opinion on.'

But on Wednesday, after outrage at the rat image intensified, the former England captain said: 'On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references.

'I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic. It goes against everything I believe in.

'The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue.

'Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters. I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.'

In an interview with The Telegraph this week, Mr Lineker described what is going on in Gaza as 'beyond depraved.'

He said: 'We still seem to be on the side of the people who are doing this. We’re still supplying arms.

'And you think, "Wow, how?" The vast majority of people see it for what it is now.'

On the subject of October 7 he said it was 'inevitable' the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land would 'cause massive problems'.

Lineker added fuel to the fire earlier this week over an unrelated issue - as he appeared to take a swipe at the BBC's director of sport as of last year, Alex Kay-Jelski, saying he 'wants to change Match of the Day a bit'.

He told Telegraph Sport: 'I think [a regime change] has [happened], and that's what I was alluding to [in an earlier interview].

'He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day a bit. Ultimately, I don’t think they will, because I don’t see how you move a highlights show away from being about highlights.

'I think he wants more journalists - he has come from that background. He has got no television experience.'

One BBC staff member, who has since he proved right, claimed the combination of sharing the rat emoji and making the comments about Kay-Jelski could spell the end for Lineker at the BBC.

They said: 'That is being seen as a real dig at the head of sport, which you just don’t do.

'But for it to come so soon after the social media controversy makes it a real problem for him.'

Earlier this year, Lineker implied that the BBC wanted him to move on from Match of the Day.

He said: 'Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that.'

While the BBC refused to comment on Lineker's implication at the time, they referred to him as a 'world-class presenter' - while adding that Match of the Day 'continually evolves for changing viewing habits'.

Having made his name at Leicester City, where he played between 1978 and 1985, Lineker went on to play for Everton and Spurs before earning a big-money £2.8million move to Barcelona.

Lineker made his England debut in 1984, earning 80 internationals caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career.

That puts him forth in England's list of all-time record goalscorers, after Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton.

The BBC confirmed in November 2024 that Lineker would be stepping down from Match of the Day at the end of this season after 26 years in the job.