The Gary Lineker collection
No slouch before moving to TV couch
| Full name: | Gary Winston Lineker |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | November 30, 1960 |
| Clubs played for: | Leicester, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham, Nagoya Grampus Eight |
Club Career
Gary Lineker's journey to the Golden Boot, the Nou Camp and Match of the Day began at Filbert Street in 1977. He joined the club as a 17-year-old, but took some time to establish himself. The teenager had pace to burn, but the management struggled to find the right position for him and he was sometimes deployed on the wing.
Once he found his niche up front, however, he began to score goals at an astonishing rate, and never stopped. His goals fired Leicester to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1982 and helped secure promotion 12 months later. In 1984, he made his England debut and it became obvious he was destined for a bigger stage than Filbert Street. He joined League champions Everton in 1985 for £800,000. Six goals at the 1986 World Cup earned him the Golden Boot and a move to Barcelona.
In 1989, he returned to England to join Tottenham and, leading an attack fuelled by the drive and creativity of Paul Gascoigne in midfield, helped them win the FA Cup. He had a brief spell playing for Grampus Eight in Japan before launching a new career in broadcasting.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-85 | Leicester | 194 | 95 |
| 1985-86 | Everton | 41 | 30 |
| 1986-89 | Barcelona | 103 | 43 |
| 1989-92 | Tottenham | 105 | 67 |
| 1992-94 | Nagoya Grampus Eight | 23 | 9 |
International Career
Lineker made his England debut against Scotland in 1984 and scored the first of his 48 international goals against the Republic of Ireland the following year. He won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 1986 World Cup and netted four more at Italia 90, before hanging up his international boots after Euro 92.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-92 | England | 80 | 48 |
Key Games
Leicester 5-2 Shrewsbury (FA Cup quarter-final, March 6, 1982)
Lineker hit the target in an amazing cup-tie which saw Leicester claim a place in the last four, despite needing two stand-in goalkeepers after Mark Wallington limped off injured. Two goals from Jim Melrose, one from Larry May and an own goal killed off the underdogs in a match that needed 12 minutes of injury time.
England 1-1 West Germany (West Germany win 5-4 on penalties, World Cup semi-final, July 4, 1990)
The England striker rescued the hopes of a nation with an equaliser 10 minutes from the end of a pulsating World Cup semi-final in Turin, but despite coolly netting a penalty in the shoot-out, he finished on the losing side as the Germans dispatched all five of their spot-kicks to reach the final.
Tottenham 2-1 Nottingham Forest (FA Cup final, May 18, 1991)
Despite seeing his penalty saved, Lineker claimed an FA Cup winners' medal at last, five years after he had been a loser with Everton. Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley stopped his first half spot-kick, before a strike from Paul Stewart and an own goal by Des Walker settled a game best remembered for Paul Gascoigne's terrible injury.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | Second Division Championship | 1980 |
| Barcelona | Copa del Rey | 1988 |
| European Cup-Winners' Cup | 1989 | |
| Tottenham | FA Cup | 1991 |
Did You Know...?
During his time at Leicester, he said he planned to become a bookmaker after retiring from football.
Lineker has a golf handicap of four and has played cricket for the MCC.
Before the 1986 FA Cup final, he beat his future MOTD colleague Mark Lawrenson in a Liverpool v Everton snooker challenge match staged by the BBC.
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