Gary Lineker confirmed for new job with Match of the Day host set for career first

Gary Lineker's determination to discontinue Match of the Day has been 1 of the biggest stories of the year, yet the ex-Leicester striker already has his adjacent task acceptable up for erstwhile helium walks distant from the show

Gary Lineker volition instrumentality up an improbable shot absorption relation aft announcing he won't return to Match of the Day adjacent season.

The iconic tv host volition manage a squad successful the Baller League, a contention that volition motorboat successful the UK and the USA for the archetypal clip adjacent year. Roma prima Mats Hummels and ex-Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski launched the league successful Germany astatine the commencement of the year, and it has grown in popularity since then.

Baller League is simply a six-a-side contention featuring teams made up of celebrities and ex-professionals. It is the crippled arsenic we cognize it but with respective caller rules. Some of the unsocial regulations mean games are three-against-three, portion goals scored from the backmost two-thirds of the transportation number arsenic double.

Games are held play with teams playing indoors, and livestreams of the lawsuit are hosted by societal media sensation Chunkz. Lineker volition besides articulation forces with MOTD colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards to manager 1 of the UK teams.

Twelve teams volition vie successful the UK and US leagues, with each broadside playing erstwhile weekly. There volition beryllium 11 matchdays crossed the season, with the apical 4 teams facing disconnected successful a mini-tournament to find the winner.

Former Arsenal Invincibles Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Jens Lehmann volition besides instrumentality complaint of a team. Sidemen members Miniminter and Tobi, YouTuber and Twitch streamer Angry Ginge, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile planetary players John Terry and Luis Figo, volition each negociate their ain outfits.

Noted Arsenal protagonist KSI volition service arsenic the UK league's president, with American YouTuber IShowSpeed taking connected the aforesaid relation for the US League. Brazilian fable Ronaldinho is among the icons confirmed to play successful the stateside version.

In the authoritative tourney trailer, Terry and Figo are seen demonstrating their silky skills earlier the Portuguese prima volleys a shot that appears to onshore successful a workplace wherever Lineker, Richards, and Shearer are seated. The 3 pundits scramble for a header which Richards wins, lone to autumn level connected his look and rip his trousers.

This past triggers laughter from the 2 England legends, with Lineker teasing his BBC colleague: "Talk astir bursting connected the scene," a motion to the notorious argument betwixt Richards and Roy Keane connected Sky Sports. The two-minute advert wraps with the Arsenal legends enjoying a kickabout astatine an airport, conscionable earlier KSI catches his formation and spots Ronaldinho already successful his seat.

A caption past says the league is "landing" successful 2025. The organisers down the lawsuit said much accusation volition beryllium revealed successful the coming months, including dates and however the tourney volition run, arsenic good arsenic the names of those who volition besides negociate successful the UK league alongside Lineker.

Speaking astir the concept, Baller League CEO Felix Starck said: "Baller League is simply a marque caller mode to devour football. We’re redefining however the crippled is played by bringing an exhilarating and authentic attack to football, and 1 that volition entreaty to existent fans on with aboriginal generations."

While Lineker was known for his prowess connected the pitch, helium elected to enactment disconnected it pursuing the decision of his playing career. Shifting into broadcasting, the ex-Everton guardant took his spot successful the Match of the Day blistery spot successful 1999 and fronted the much-loved amusement for 25 years earlier announcing that helium would measurement down from the amusement astatine the extremity of this season.

After hanging up his boots, Richards besides ducked a coaching relation and opted to enactment arsenic a pundit with Sky Sports and the BBC. As for Shearer, absorption isn't wholly caller territory aft helium took complaint of Newcastle connected an interim ground during a hard spell for the nine astatine the tail-end of the 09/10 season. However, helium was unable to support them afloat successful the Premier League and has worked arsenic a pundit ever since.

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