Lineker, since retiring from the game in 1994, has forged a successful career as a sports presenter and hosts BBC’s football show Match of the Day. (Source: Twitter)
Former England striker and sports presenter Gary Lineker earns between 1.75 million pounds to 1.79 million pounds. The numbers were revealed when BBC published the salaries that their highest-paid stars earn. Lineker, since retiring from the game in 1994, has forged a successful career as a sports presenter and hosts BBC’s football show Match of the Day.
Lineker is the second highest paid BBC star, only behind Radio talkshow and former TopGear host Chris Evans. Other top earners in the list include former Newcastle United great and pundit Alan Shearer and former Tennis player Sue Barker.
Lineker joked on his Twitter account that the release was an “absolute outrage” for him being behind Chris Evans. “This whole BBC salary exposure business is an absolute outrage…I mean how can @achrisevans be on more than me?” he said in the tweet.
This whole BBC salary exposure business is an absolute outrage…I mean how can @achrisevans be on more than me?
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) 19 July 2017
However, there has been a larger gender pay gap issue that has been exposed with BBC’s release. While Evans is the highest male earner in the 2,200,000 – 2,249,999 pounds bracket, Vanessa Feltz in the 350,000 – 399,999 pounds bracket is the highest female earner thus pointing out to a gender pay schism in the news network. Among sports presenters, Sue Barker is the highest female earner in the 300,000 – 349,999 pounds. Baker’s pay grade is lower than even that of Shearer, who is makes appearances as only pundit and not as a presenter.
