Gary Lineker has revealed he thought he might die during the 1986 World Cup match that transformed his career. The former England striker, now 65, scored a hat-trick against Poland in Mexico that saved England from an early exit, but the extreme heat made it a harrowing ordeal.
Speaking to The i Paper, Lineker recalled: 'It was murder, absolute murder. We played three times in Monterrey, one at 12pm, the other two at 4pm, and it got to 42 degrees. When I played and scored the hat-trick, in the second half of that game, I really did think I was going to keel over and I might be a goner.'
Lineker, who stepped down as Match of the Day host in May 2025 after 26 years, noted that conditions are taken more seriously now, with drinks breaks available in stifling heat. At the time, there were no such breaks.
This summer, Lineker will present a daily World Cup show on Netflix called 'The Rest Is Football' alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, produced by his company Goalhanger Podcasts. He said: 'I've got a bit more time, I'm not treading on quite so many eggshells these days, I'm allowed an opinion on things.'
While ITV is basing its team in New York, the BBC plans to keep most presenters in the UK until the final week. Lineker expressed surprise but said he is not in competition with the BBC, focusing instead on his own show.
