Fans of Euro 2024 were surprised to learn about the age of Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day predecessor when he retired from presenting football.
Des Lynam, the legendary presenter, hosted the BBC programme for 11 years before moving to ITV to cover the Champions League in 1999. He later returned to host Premier League action briefly when ITV held the terrestrial highlights rights in the early 2000s.
Now aged 81, Lynam made his final major tournament appearance at Euro 2004 when he was 61, which is two years younger than Gary Lineker, who is currently 63. Despite Lineker’s youthful appearance compared to Lynam’s debonair look and moustache. Fans were stunned by the age difference, as highlighted on social media by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir.
Weir tweeted: “When he signed off from his last major tournament as an anchor, Des Lynam was two years younger than Gary Lineker is now. That slightly blows my mind.”
He added: “They’re both excellent broadcasters. Make something extraordinarily difficult look effortless.” Other social media users joined in, with one humorously suggesting: “It seems that eating crisps keeps you looking young.” Another noted: “It’s weird, I think Des’ generation looked way older at that age than people do now. We wear trainers.”
Lynam cited a “new challenge” as his reason for leaving the BBC, which included frustration over Match of the Day’s late start times nearing 11pm. However, he also admitted that ITV’s offer of significantly more money played a major role in his decision.
Reflecting on the move, Lynam disclosed to the Irish Independent ahead of Euro 2024: “I was very happy to do Match of the Day, and would have gone on doing it. Only ITV came to me with a bucket-load of money! I couldn’t turn it down, it would have been stupid. It was a hell of a lot more than the BBC were paying, for a lot less work.”
“At the time, obviously, I didn’t say I was leaving for the money, I just said I wanted a new challenge – and that new challenge was to bank some more money!”
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