Gary Lineker's spectacular net worth after leaving BBC and landing ITV World Cup role

Gary Lineker's spectacular net worth after leaving BBC and landing ITV World Cup role Gary Lineker left the BBC in 2025 after more than two decades as the face of Match of the Day, walking away from a £1.35million-a-year salary - but his net worth shows he is far from struggling When Gary Lineker left his position at the BBC, many people questioned what would come next for the iconic presenter. The answer appears to be an unexpected change of direction that sees him stepping across long-established broadcasting divides. In a move that has surprised many observers, the 65-year-old is preparing to make an unexpected guest appearance as a pundit on ITV during their coverage of the 2026 World Cup fixture between Germany and Ivory Coast. This development is especially notable because of Lineker's 26-year association with the BBC, where he became the face of Match of the Day and was a regular presence throughout major international football tournaments. Accepting a pundit role with ITV - the BBC's main TV competitor - sends a strong message, particularly after he walked away from a lucrative BBC deal in May last year. For years, Lineker was the BBC's highest-paid presenter, earning more than £1.35million per year before his high-profile exit. However, anyone assuming he has suffered financially since leaving the broadcaster would be very much mistaken. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page Although he is no longer a regular fixture on live TV, the former England forward continues to enjoy considerable financial success. His personal wealth is currently estimated at approximately £30m. That wealth stems from a mix of football earnings, a long and successful broadcasting career, and profitable endorsement agreements. More recently, however, his rapidly expanding podcast business has become a major contributor to his income. Indeed, a significant portion of Lineker's financial success comes from Goalhanger Podcasts, the production company he launched alongside Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport in 2018. The business has grown dramatically, driven by the popularity of the The Rest Is... podcast franchise. This includes programmes such as The Rest is History, The Rest is Entertainment, The Rest is Politics, and The Rest is Football, which Lineker co-hosts. Lineker still owns at least a 25 percent share of the company, which brought in almost £38m in revenue during the last financial year and recently exceeded 250,000 paying subscribers. The 2026 World Cup has proven particularly profitable for Lineker as well. Alongside fellow The Rest is Football presenters Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, he has temporarily based himself in an upscale apartment in New York City with views across Times Square. From there, the trio are producing a 40-episode edition of their podcast for Netflix. Reports suggest the streaming platform paid around £14m for exclusive daily broadcasting rights, creating yet another substantial source of income for Lineker. Although he was absent from ITV's original World Cup pundit line-up - which includes figures such as Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright - his guest role will allow him to leave his Netflix base briefly and make an impact on live television coverage. ITV have already received praise for broadcasting from an impressive Brooklyn-based studio, outperforming the BBC - who chose to present coverage from their facilities in Salford - in the initial ratings battle. Despite spending many years at the BBC, Lineker appears entirely comfortable working with their chief rivals. Since his contentious departure in 2025, he has repeatedly criticised his former employer following a series of social media controversies. Even though BBC rules require prominent presenters to uphold the organisation's standards of impartiality, Lineker frequently pushed those limits by expressing strong political opinions online. While his comments on domestic British politics had already created tension within the corporation, his remarks concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict generated intense backlash. Matters eventually came to a head when he shared an online explanatory video about Zionism that included an image of a rat - a historically antisemitic symbol widely regarded as deeply offensive. Lineker later stated that he had not noticed the image and subsequently apologised. Soon afterwards, he left the BBC by mutual consent, despite originally intending to host this season's FA Cup and World Cup coverage for the broadcaster. Since his departure, Lineker has spoken openly about enjoying greater freedom outside the BBC's impartiality requirements, saying he is "not treading on so many eggshells these days" and is now "allowed an opinion on things." He also criticised the BBC's reduced World Cup operation, ridiculing their decision to present coverage from Salford rather than travelling to North America. Explaining why he would not miss his former role during the tournament, Lineker joked that remaining with the broadcaster would merely have left him working from a small "green box" virtual studio. England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer's FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code: ENGFREEDEL