Gary Winston Lineker was born on 30 November 1960, in Leicester, England, and is a sports broadcaster and retired soccer player, best known for holding the England record for scoring goals in the FIFA World Cup finals at 10. He’s since hosted numerous sports programs over the course of his career, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Gary Lineker? As of late-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $31.5 million, mostly earned through success in the sports industry. He won numerous titles and awards during his playing career, and has been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Gary Lineker Net Worth $31.5 million
Gary first attended Caldecote Road School but later went to the City of Leicester Boys’ Grammar School due to his preference of playing soccer as opposed to rugby. He showcased his talents in the sport as well as in cricket, being selected for the Leicestershire Schools cricket team, but left school to focus on a soccer career, joining the youth academy at Leicester City.
Lineker turned professional with Leicester City the following year, and became a regular first team player in 1981, scoring 19 goals during that season, helping the team reach the semifinals of the FA Cup and to be promoted to the First Division, although they were then relegated and promoted again, being joint top scorer in 1984-85.
Lineker was then signed by Everton in 1985, with a contract which certainly increased his net worth. He became the First Division’s leading goal scorer and the team would reach the FA Cup final. He scored three hat tricks in his one season at Everton, then after winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico, Lineker was signed by Barcelona, with a higher contract which elevated his net worth further. This was his first chance of European football too, and he performed well with the team, going on to win the Copa Del Ray in 1988, following the next year by winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup. He became the highest scoring British player in La Liga with 42 goals until his record was surpassed in 2016.
Gary then joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1989, and would score 67 goals in three seasons with the team, continuing to be one of the top scorers in the First Division, plus in 1991 the team would win the FA Cup.
Lineker then accepted a two-year contract from Nagoya Grampus Eight of the J1 League club, but his final two seasons with Nagoya found him injury ridden, and he soon announced his retirement in 1994. He retired from international football with 48 goals and 80 caps.
Following his retirement, Lineker then pursued a career in the media, joining the BBC, and becoming a part of Radio 5 Live and an anchorman for soccer coverage. He also joined the program “Match of the Day” and the game show “The Think it’s All Over” which ran from 1995 to 2003. He presented BBC’s golf coverage too, of tournaments such as the Masters and The Open. He also made appearances in television shows including “Brass Eye”, and “Bend it Like Beckham” in which he had a cameo. More acting opportunities came including voicing Underground Ernie in the BBC children’s channel CBeebies. In 2009, he became the host of the series “Northern Exposure”, and four years later, would start working for NBCSN. In 2016, it was reported that he was BBC’s highest paid sports presenter.
Aside from his sports presenting work, Gary has also done light-hearted commercials for Walkers, and has established his own production company called Goalhanger Films.
For his personal life, it is known that Lineker was married to Michelle Cockayne from 1986 until 2006; they had four sons. Three years later, he married Danielle Bux and their marriage lasted until 2016. He’s a philanthropist too, supporting charities including the cancer charity CLIC Sargent.
