Top 35 Gary Lineker Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

— Gary Lineker

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2. “A handball is when your hand touches the ball.”

— Gary Lineker

3. “There’s no in between-you’re either good or bad. We were in between.”

— Gary Lineker

4. “Soccer is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins.”

— Gary Lineker

5. “You’ve got no chance of reaching the top if you’re just playing for money.”

— Gary Lineker

6. “I am not leaving twitter. If the mindless few defeat the thoughtful majority we are all doomed.”

— Gary Lineker

7. “Speaking Spanish and Japanese has opened doors in my career and helped me bridge cultural differences, both in my personal and business life. During my football career I realised quickly what difference language skills can make.”

— Gary Lineker

8. “Messi doesn’t have to do it in the Premier League to prove himself. The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. If he was in the Premier League, he’d be the best player by some distance.”

— Gary Lineker

9. “I was quite good at football once, although other than that my speciality would be maths. I’m great at sudokus and find all the spin-off games pretty easy too.”

— Gary Lineker

10. “The best, most successful managers in the modern era are those who can keep a player happy even if he is not in the team. Given the size of the squads and the use of rotation nowadays, that’s tougher than it’s ever been.”

— Gary Lineker

11. “I’m disappearing from twitter for a while. Need a break from the bile. Local prejudice just seems to bring out the worst in some people.”

— Gary Lineker

12. “To be honest, it would have been better to watch it on Ceefax.”

— Gary Lineker

13. “My eldest son George had acute myeloid leukaemia when he was a tiny baby, he is now 20 and doing very well. He is a mini-miracle in many ways.”

— Gary Lineker

14. “I just think to be a manager you’ve got to live and breathe and have this incredible enthusiasm for football, the whole thing. And while I love the game, and it’s been a large part of my life, it’s not the only thing in my life.”

— Gary Lineker

15. “My fiancee’s brother-in-law was recently paralysed in an accident and it really brought home the fact that thousands of young people live with spinal injuries. It’s an issue I wish had more coverage.”

— Gary Lineker

16. “We have got too many kids around the house to have a romantic meal at home. But Danielle is a fantastic cook. She does a brilliant lasagna, great roasts and a great chilli dish. She knows the way to my heart.”

— Gary Lineker

17. “The World Cup is every four years, so it’s going to be a perennial problem.”

— Gary Lineker

18. “My wife Danielle and I love travelling, different cultures and good weather.”

— Gary Lineker

19. “Chris Hughton has been sacked by Norwich. Now? With 5 games to go? Utterly bonkers!”

— Gary Lineker

20. “Ooh, it’s too embarrassing to share my innermost romantic secrets – although I have written Danielle the odd poem. If anything they are more comedic than romantic. They used to be well-received but that was before she started studying Shakespeare at drama college. Now I feel so inept.”

— Gary Lineker

21. “I try to avoid saying ‘fantastic’ too often and ‘obviously’ is a dangerous word for all broadcasters.”

— Gary Lineker

22. “Every act of kindness is potent and lingers long in the heart of the recipient.”

— Gary Lineker

23. “That’s one of the magical things about the Olympics, Team GB will have someone challenging in a sport that we’ve never watched and all of a sudden it’ll be the biggest thing ever.”

— Gary Lineker

24. “If someone in the crowd spits at you, you have just got to swallow it.”

— Gary Lineker

25. “I wouldn’t want to go out six nights a week and watch somebody’s reserves playing to check out a footballer to see if we’re going to buy him.”

— Gary Lineker

26. “He’s got great credentials by winning the World Cup but he did it with Brazil – my granny could probably have managed Brazil to World Cup success.”

— Gary Lineker

27. “Congratulations to Thierry Henry on a truly wonderful career. One of the great footballers of our time and a top bloke. Bonne chance.”

— Gary Lineker

28. “When you’re winning games, everyone thinks everything the manager says and does is fantastic. Then it goes the other way, and those earlier criticisms of players can backfire.”

— Gary Lineker

29. “I know I am extraordinarily lucky to be doing what I am doing. I have worked hard along the way and I have been blessed too. I have had a great life.”

— Gary Lineker

30. “The truth is I don’t feel too bad for my age. I actually have a better shape now than I used to.”

— Gary Lineker

31. “Ageing footballers never lose their commitment; they just lose their pace.”

— Gary Lineker

32. “I know I could never be in a pop band. I honestly have an appalling voice.”

— Gary Lineker

33. “We are in the entertainment business and we all know if you are top of the tree you get the big money. Those of us who have been in it are the fortunate ones but we understand that we probably don’t deserve it as much as the nurses or teachers.”

— Gary Lineker

34. “I’ve only got a Saturday job so my weekdays are generally pretty free.”

— Gary Lineker

35. “I was only interested in scoring goals. I wasn’t interested in anything else.”

— Gary Lineker

36. “You can never really justify wages in the entertainment business, but it is what it is.”

— Gary Lineker

37. “The whole kiss-and-tell thing is a negative approach that often happens in a World Cup. We will see negative stories about the players and it can affect their confidence and the overall performance of the national team on the pitch, let alone the bid to actually stage the competition.”

— Gary Lineker

38. “Footballers are more likely to work better if they get a pat on their back from the boss. A knife in the back is never the answer.”

— Gary Lineker