Gary Lineker dug out over enormous pay day as Jamie Carragher wades in | Football | Sport
Jamie Carragher has taken a swipe at Gary Lineker following the former Match of the Day presenter’s lucrative Netflix agreement. Lineker departed the BBC in May, bringing an end to his 26-year reign fronting Match of the Day, and is now concentrating on his podcast, The Rest is Football.
The ex-England forward had been scheduled to present the BBC‘s 2026 World Cup coverage but severed all connections with the broadcaster entirely. The departure has proved rather fortuitous for Lineker, who will now work for Netflix during the summer’s World Cup. Netflix has secured an agreement with The Rest is Football for the tournament, which will reportedly see Lineker earn more than the £1.35million he received at the BBC.
The deal represents a windfall for Lineker’s podcast co-hosts, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards – and appears to have sparked some envy amongst competitors. The subject arose during CBS Sports’ Champions League coverage on Tuesday evening when reporter Anita Jones remarked: “Micah, I’m hoping that you’re going to send me some of that Netflix money though.”
The former Manchester City defender dismissed the suggestion with laughter, prompting Jones to persist: “I didn’t get an answer though. Are you going to send me some of the Netflix money or what?” Carragher intervened, leading Richards to characterise the programme as ‘just the number one pod in the UK’. Carragher then responded: “Oh, the Netflix deal for the podcast that no-one listens to? Honestly, I don’t know anyone who listens to it!”
According to recent findings by Edison, The Rest is Football ranks as the fifth most-popular podcast in the UK and tops the charts for sporting content. The Overlap, featuring Carragher, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jill Scott, sits at number 17 on the rankings.
The Rest is Football will broadcast daily throughout the World Cup, with Lineker, Shearer and Richards recording from New York. Lineker described the Netflix agreement as a ‘fantastic opportunity for the three of us to do what we love – talk football every day – but on a truly global stage.’
The programme will feature ‘game analysis, special guests, interviews and insights into the world’s largest sporting event.’
Lineker co-established Goalhanger, the media company behind The Rest is Football alongside numerous other thriving podcasts. The firm recently revealed it had exceeded 250,000 paying subscribers throughout its portfolio, generating 70 million episode downloads monthly across audio and video formats for its 14 regular programmes.
