Gary Lineker has had a hugely successful career as a goalscorer, television presenter and podcast guru – over the decades, it’s made him a national treasure.
Lineker became an OBE in 1992 at the end of his England career – given his achievements, it perhaps wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if a knighthood came his way some day.
Among those who have received the honour so far have been Alex Ferguson, Alf Ramsey, Matt Busby, Bobby Robson, Walter Winterbottom, Kenny Dalglish, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Trevor Brooking.
Gary Lineker asked about potential honours
When it’s suggested to him he might not be entirely out of place on the list of British footballers with a knighthood, he’s briefly stumped about how to respond, during an exclusive chat with FourFourTwo.
“I don’t know how you comment on that, because you either say, ‘I wouldn’t take it’ or, ‘Yeah, why haven’t I got one!’” he jokes. “I’ve never even considered it, to be fair.”
Lineker has sometimes been forthright about his political views in the past, criticising the Conservative government over their handling of asylum seekers in 2023, calling their policy “immeasurably cruel”.
It’s possible that has proved a barrier to further honours in the past, rather than his actual achievements. “Who knows, I don’t know,” he says.
He won’t stop standing up for the things he believes in, either way. “No, that’s way more important,” he confirms.
“You’ve got certain values and you can disagree with things, that’s fine. I don’t mind it as long as you do it in a reasonable manner. But I try to stand up for things I believe are important.
“People say, ‘Oh, you’ve got a view on everything’. I haven’t. It’s just looking at how we treat each other. I find hatred tough to understand. There are subjects I feel are very important, have read a lot of stuff on and understood a little more. Humanitarian issues.”
