Gary Lineker’s 25-year spell as Match Of The Day (MOTD) host marks the end of an era.
While fans will be sad to see the back of the former England striker when he steps down at the end of this season, speculation on who his successor will be has already taken the internet by storm.
It won’t be known who will take the reins until the BBC formally announces it, but here’s a look at some of the names which may be in the hat.
Mark Chapman
Pic: PA
Veteran sports presenter Chapman is unsurprisingly the bookies’ favourite, as he has hosted sister programme Match Of The Day 2 for more than a decade.
He’s a familiar face with the fans and has more experience than most, having also filled in for Lineker on the main show occasionally when he’s been unavailable.
Of course, permanently moving Chapman over to the Saturday show means someone will likely need to take his place on MOTD 2 on Sundays.
Alex Scott
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Former Arsenal defender Alex Scott has led the line for female football pundits since she retired from the game in 2017.
Her breakthrough year of 2018 saw her become the first female pundit to be taken to a men’s World Cup by the BBC, before becoming Sky Sports’ first woman football pundit later that year.
Since then she has become another stand-in presenter on MOTD when Lineker can’t make it.
Gabby Logan
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Veteran presenter Gabby Logan, who has become one of the most familiar faces on UK television, has also filled in for Lineker on occasion.
The former gymnast has an MBE for services to sports broadcast and promoting women in sport, having presented at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Invictus Games, the FIFA World Cup, Euros and the Six Nations for the BBC since 2007.
She is also a regular anchor for Amazon Prime Video’s sport fixtures, and has started hosting some of the live games shown on the platform in recent seasons.
Alan Shearer
Pic: PA
The former Newcastle striker took over from Lineker as England’s top forward when he retired in the ’90s – could history repeat itself with one of TV’s top jobs?
Shearer might not be a presenter, but he has more experience than practically anyone when it comes to MOTD, having sat beside Lineker as an analyst regularly for years.
If the BBC is looking to keep things familiar for its audience after Lineker’s departure, having someone who features beside him on not only MOTD, but on the MOTD podcast and Lineker’s own The Rest Is Football podcast might be a safe bet.
Micah Richards
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The bubbly ex-Manchester City and Aston Villa defender has also been one of MOTD’s mainstays in recent years alongside Lineker and Shearer, so he’d only have to switch chairs for the presenter role.
The 36-year-old has himself admitted his injury-plagued football career didn’t hit the heights of Lineker and Shearer’s, but his punditry career has blossomed since his retirement in 2019.
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He has formed a formidable trio with the former England internationals on both MOTD and The Rest Is Football podcast, and has built a similar rapport with football stars Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher on US network CBS Sports.
Lineker previously referenced the odds of Richards taking over MOTD, telling him on The Rest Is Football podcast: “Four to one? Blimey. I’d love to see you take over. I think you’d be brilliant in the chair.”
Kate Abdo
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British sports broadcaster Kate Abdo has taken her career to new heights since becoming a host on US network CBS Sports, where she often covers Champions League football with Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher.
Her shared banter with the three ex-footballers and impressive presenting skills have helped the network’s coverage surge in popularity, particularly on social media, where their interactions often go viral.
It would perhaps be a trickier deal if the BBC wanted to go in Abdo’s direction, as she reportedly signed a four-year deal with CBS last year.
Jason Mohammad
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Mohammad, who currently hosts the BBC’s Final Score show on Saturday afternoons, has also deputised for Lineker and Chapman on the MOTD programmes since he started working for the company in 1997.
The Welsh TV and radio presenter, who has been among the BBC’s highest earners, is up there with the bookies’ favourites for the job.
Kelly Somers
Kelly Somers interviews England international James Maddison. Pic: PA
Somers, who became just the sixth woman to present MOTD in 2020, has worked with the BBC, Talksport, the Premier League and Prime Video, to name just a few.
She became a frequent face for football fans while covering of England men’s matches at the 2020 Euros and the World Cup in 2022, and has continued fronting Channel 4’s coverage of the national team over the last two years.
Dion Dublin
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Another BBC Sport regular, former Aston Villa and Manchester United forward Dublin is up there on bookies’ lists.
He has regularly appeared on MOTD, along with other BBC shows like Football Focus and Final Score, but he’s also branched out of the footballing world to host property daytime show Homes Under the Hammer.
Gary Neville
Manchester United great Neville has become a punditry powerhouse on Sky Sports since his retirement in 2011.
Lineker himself has sung Neville’s praises, saying in 2013 he wished he could have had him on MOTD. His point, however, was that Neville was able to provide his now signature lengthy, in-depth analysis on less dense programmes, whereas MOTD has to be concise due to how many games it tends to cover in a short runtime.
Neville has recently appeared as a guest entrepreneur on the BBC business show Dragon’s Den and the corporation’s comedy panel show Have I Got News For You.
But the former England right-back has been a prominent backer of the Labour Party and made political remarks while hosting ITV’s coverage of the World Cup final in 2022, something which may put off the BBC given friction over Lineker’s political views in the past.
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March 2023: ‘Hopefully BBC moving beyond Lineker row’
Lineker was briefly removed from MOTD in March last year following controversy over comments he made on social media criticising the then Conservative government’s asylum policies.
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Laura Woods
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Woods has become the face of TNT Sports’ Champions League football coverage since it rebranded from BT Sport last year, when she took over from Jake Humphrey as lead presenter.
It was a natural progression for the former Talksport radio host, who was already becoming one of football’s most popular hosts on TV before landing the huge role. Could she swoop in for yet another huge gig now that Lineker’s stepping back?
Jake Humphrey
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Prominent host Humphrey stepped back from television of his own accord last year to focus on his High Performance podcast, in which he interviews top performers in sport, entertainment, business and health and wellness.
He has a plethora of TV experience not only from his time leading the line on TNT Sports, but also from presenting Formula 1, Football Focus, Final Score on BBC Sport.
He has already made history on MOTD, previously becoming its youngest ever host when he filled in for Lineker.
