Lineker says he ENJOYS having his football records broken so he’s not just ‘the crisp bloke’
England legend Gary Lineker has revealed he ENJOYS seeing his goalscoring records broken – as it reminds people he was a footballer and not just the face of Walkers!
Lineker secured numerous achievements as a professional, including promotion with Leicester, an FA Cup triumph at Tottenham, and a Copa del Rey trophy at Barcelona.
With England, he won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and scored more World Cup finals goals than any other Englishman, while he also finished second in the Ballon d’Or running in 1986.
Gary Lineker is best-known in recent years for presenting on TV and being the face of Walkers
As a professional though, he scored hundreds of goals and earned himself numerous records
To younger football fans, though, Lineker is better known as the host of Match of the Day and the face of well-known crisp-maker Walkers – and for that reason, he says he doesn’t mind seeing a record broken every now and again.
‘To the new generation I’m just the crisp bloke,’ Lineker says in a new talkSPORT documentary. ‘It doesn’t bother me at all and then things happen occasionally, such as someone like Wayne Rooney surpasses your goalscoring achievements with England or Harry Kane wins the Golden Boot, and what it does is reminds people.
‘They ask, “Does it not bother you that they’ve taken your record or gone past you?” I say no, it actually reminds people I used to play the damn game and was all right at it.’
The now 59-year-old scored a massive 281 goals across 567 professional senior appearances, writing his name into the history books.
There is one, though, that Lineker believes was the most important goal of his career – and it came in Mexico at the 1986 World Cup.
Lineker says he enjoys seeing records broken so he isn’t just seen as ‘the crisp bloke’
The 59-year-old says his most important goal was the first against Poland in 1986 (pictured)
In fact, it was the first of three against Poland that day, sending Bobby Robson’s side through to the knockout stages of the tournament.
‘It was also my favourite goal, not because it was spectacular in any way but it changed my life,’ Lineker noted. ‘I’d struggled with England a few games before that, I thought I’d lose my place.
‘Bobby Robson kept me in, I scored that goal and went on to score a hat-trick, went on to get the Golden Boot, and went to Barcelona off the back of it, so it changed my life.’
