Gary Lineker made a surprise appearance on ITV's World Cup coverage over the weekend, just months after leaving the BBC. The former England striker spent over two decades with the BBC but left following a scandal over alleged anti-semitic social media posts. During his return to the World Cup screen alongside ITV's regular pundits and host Laura Woods, Lineker admitted he almost committed a cardinal sin live on air.
Lineker's Near Miss on Live Television
Reacting to his cameo on Sunday's The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said: "I nearly dropped the f-bomb on ITV today. I was so close to it." He explained that he is used to swearing on his Netflix-partnered show, but on ITV he had to hold back: "There was a point where I was live and I went 'ffff' and just held it back. I sucked it in."
Lineker noted that despite nearly 30 years of television experience, the habit of swearing on his own show almost caused a slip-up. "You know not to do it ever but doing this show and the fact we swear a little bit, I was so close and just pulled it back," he added.
Lineker's Record and Praise for Harry Kane
Earlier this week, Lineker made headlines after Harry Kane scored twice against Croatia to equal Lineker's record for the most England goals at a World Cup. When asked about losing his record, Lineker joked: "I am not a violent man, but I did kick the door down! No, I was genuinely pleased for Harry." He added with a smirk: "Obviously it’s taken him an extra World Cup to do it and there is quite a lot of penalties in there, but we’ll give him that."
In a more serious tone, Lineker praised Kane: "Harry is a way better all-round No 9 than I was. I was very much a penalty box player and Harry does it all, doesn’t he? He drops back, his passing range is fabulous and I think he is our best ever No 9."
England's World Cup Campaign
Kane and his England teammates will return to action on Tuesday night for their second group match against Ghana, followed by a group stage finale against Panama. The knockout stage begins at the round-of-32 stage.
