Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Gary Lineker, who presented his final Match of the Day last night, has been an endlessly controversial figure over the past ten years. Lineker has hit the headlines with sassy thoughts on everything from asylum seekers to trans rights and Gaza, so it’s easy to forget what a different personality he was as a player.
Lineker back then was all about shy, boyish smiles
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Lineker was a football superstar. He scored 238 goals for his clubs and netted 48 times for England, but away from the pitch he was generally as bland and middle-of-the-road as footballers came. When he was interviewed, he spoke softly and cautiously, avoiding controversy so carefully that it was hard to believe he’d even have an opinion on which day of the week it was, let alone anything remotely political or divisive.
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