Gary Lineker’s BBC salary dwarfs that of his Match of the Day colleague Alan Shearer – even after offering to take a £350,000 pay-cut. Lineker is set to enter negotiations with the BBC next month which could see him sign a new contract worth £1million-a-year.
The future of the legendary presenter – who has hosted the flagship football highlights show since 1999 – has been the subject of widespread speculation in recent months. But with rumours of a potential replacement subsiding, Lineker is reportedly set to negotiate an additional two-year contract with the broadcaster to keep his current role.
His new annual salary would be a huge decrease from his published salary of £1.35m for 2023/24, which made him the corporation’s highest earner. But his new figure still towers over those of other key BBC personnel, including his close friend and Match of the Day pundit Shearer.
The Newcastle legend took home £380,000 in 2023/24, a decrease from his previous year’s earnings of £445,000. Mark Chapman, the long-standing presenter of companion show Match of the Day 2, earned a considerably smaller sum of £260,000. Chapman also features on Radio 5 Live Sport and the BBC’s coverage of the Challenge Cup.
Jason Mohammad of BBC Wales and Final Score closely follows Chapman on the 2023/24 annual salary report, released in July. Mohammad’s earnings ranged between £245,000 and £249,999.
Alex Scott’s various roles on Football Focus, coverage of the Women’s Super League, the 2023 Women’s World Cup and Sports Personality of the Year award saw her take home £220,000. John McEnroe followed closely behind, earning £195,000 for his coverage of Wimbledon.
Chris Sutton cashed in £190,000 thanks to his roles across BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, Football Focus, and Final Score. And Cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew was paid a similar figure.
Lineker’s decision to take a pay-cut follows his Match of the Day colleague’s Jermaine Jenas’ sudden exit. The former Tottenham star, who was widely tipped to be Lineker’s successor on the show, was sacked after he sent inappropriate messages to female colleagues on The One Show.
It appears that Lineker is now set to anchor the BBC sports programme beyond 2025. A source told The Sun: “Gary is hugely popular with both fans and players alike. The sense is that, with so much uncertainty and scandal at the BBC, right now viewers are crying out for a safe pair of hands.
“Gary has long maintained that the BBC provides excellent value for money – and has quite literally put his money where his mouth is, and offered to take a substantial pay cut.”
