How much does Gary Lineker earn? BBC salary and net worth

Gary Lineker earns more than the average presenter at the BBC...

He's the legendary Leicester-born football star who successfully transitioned from the pitch to punditry, after hanging up his professional boots for good in 1994. Five years later, Gary Lineker secured the coveted job of Match of the Day presenter - a role he still proudly holds over 20 years on.

The single football commentator (opens in new tab) has most recently been in the headlines for a falling out with his employer over his social media use, with the BBC claiming Lineker was in violation of their impartiality guidelines - leading many to ask what did Gary Lineker say (opens in new tab) on Twitter. Forced to step away from hosting duties whilst the two parties reach an agreement, many are interested in learning how much Gary Linekar earns for his BBC presenting role. We share what we know of his current salary and net worth in 2023.

How much does Gary Lineker earn?

Gary Lineker's current BBC salary sees the star earn £1.355 million for his work presenting shows like Match Of The Day and Sports Personality Of The Year. This wage officially makes Gary the highest-earning presenter at the BBC.

The former footballer turned pundit has a freelance contract with the public broadcaster. This allows Lineker to present football coverage for other channels, like NBC, Al Jazeera, La Liga and BT Sport too. According to the Daily Mail (opens in new tab), the 62-year-old was paid £400,000 a year by Al Jazeera between 2009 and 2013. Money earnt from these additional gigs is on top of Gary's BBC wage and significantly contributes to the star's annual take home.

Whilst the biggest earner at the BBC, Gary Lineker's salary has decreased over the last two years following pay cuts. Prior to 2020, Lineker's BBC salary was higher, taking home £1.75 million a year. In September 2020 though, Lineker agreed to a 23% salary reduction as part of a new five-year deal with the broadcaster.

At the time of the deal, Tim Davie, the BBC’s new Director-General, announced that this pay cut would "across the board [will] deliver savings of one quarter over his last contract."

Gary's future at the BBC is however uncertain at present. The presenter remains embroiled in a dispute with the BBC after comments he made on social media criticising the Tory government's latest immigration policy. 

A BBC statement (opens in new tab), released March 10, 2023, announced that Lineker would step back from presenting Match of the Day until an agreement has been reached on his social media use. The BBC said it considered Lineker's "recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines", adding that he should "keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".

Following the announcement, fellow MOTD presenters Ian Wright and Alan Shearer tweeted that they would not be appearing on that weekend's programme in 'solidarity' with Lineker. As a result, the show went ahead without commentary.

Whilst talks continue, media reports suggest that rival broadcaster ITV are keen to secure Gary Lineker to present football coverage on their channel instead. The Daily Mail claim (opens in new tab) ITV are willing to pay three times the star's current salary with the BBC.

"ITV will be excited by what is happening at the BBC – it’s the best chance they have had to get Gary," a source told the publication. "Gary would undoubtedly be able to name his price and his terms, which is something that he is going to always be restricted with at the BBC."

If Gary were to switch to ITV, his new salary would not have to be shared publicly, as the star's wage would no longer be funded by the BBC licence fee-payer.

Lineker at present has shared no plans to leave the public broadcaster. The 62-year-old has been presenter of Match of the Day for 24 years, taking over from predecessor Des Lynam in 1999.

What is Gary Lineker's net worth in 2023?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Gary Lineker's current net worth is $35 million - which equates to around £29 million. His fortune comes from his punditry work, sponsorship deals and earnings made from his days as a professional footballer.

In addition to his BBC salary and wages from presenting work with Al Jazeera and other broadcasters, Gary is also the face of British crisp brand Walkers. In 2020 he signed a £1.2 million deal to continue his work with Walkers for another three years. 

Gary also founded his own production company in May 2014. Titled Goalhanger Films (opens in new tab), it's described on it's official LinkedIn page (opens in new tab) as "a UK-based television and podcast production company specialising in sport.

"We produce access documentaries featuring major sports stars across the globe. Our recent slate of projects includes Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health; Hand of God; Mo Salah: A Football Fairytale, and the upcoming Serena Williams documentary with Amazon Prime."

The production company reported net assets of £539, 2881 (opens in new tab) to Companies House (opens in new tab) in May 2021.

Lineker started out as a footballer for his local team Leicester City in 1977. He went on to play for teams like Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and  Japanese League club Nagoya Grampus Eight. Lineker was also instrumental in England's national team, helping the squad get to the World Cup semi-finals in 1990. Four years prior, he won the golden boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Lineker received notable salaries during his professional football career. The star signed on to play at Barcelona in 1986 for £2.8 million. He then moved onto Tottenham Hotspur in July 1989 securing £1.1 million. His transfer fee to Nagoya Grampus Eight was also reported to be £2 million at the time.

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