Goal.com's Top 50 English Players: Gary Lineker (9) - Goal.com Goal.com's Top 50 English Players: Gary Lineker (9) Featured 0 Jun 12, 2009 14:15:08 Goal.com's top 50 countdown continues at nine with one of the greatest strikers that England has ever produced... Clubs Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Nagoya Grampus Eight Lineker had a reputation for being one of football's mister nice guys during his playing days, but in front of goal he was clinical and lethal and made few friends among the goalkeeping fraternity. The striker-turned media pundit made his reputation worldwide for his goalscoring exploits as he shone at both club and international level, in the process earning a reputation as a true gentleman. While netting 244 goals for his clubs side in 466 games and 48 goals for England in 80 matches, Lineker did not receive a single card, whether it be red or yellow.

His record when playing for the Three Lions saw him score just one goal less than the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton and that is only because he fluffed a penalty in his last ever international at Wembley against Brazil. That would have been a fitting tribute to one of the greatest strikers not just England, but the world has ever seen as he thrilled fans in England, Spain and Japan as well as the World Cup Finals. After rising through the ranks at Leicester City, Lineker showed his incredible pace and ability in the area as his poacher's instinct began to be honed in the comfortable surroundings of Filbert Street. With 95 goals arriving in 194 appearances, league champions Everton chose to splash £800,000 to land him in 1985 and he was to enjoy an incredible season on Merseyside that saw him net no less than 42 goals in total, and finish as the first division's best with 30. That tally was not enough for the Toffees though as they finished as runners-up to Liverpool in both the title race and the FA Cup Final, when Lineker opened the scoring after turning away from Alan Hansen, to put his side ahead.

It was not his goals at Everton that earned him a move away from Goodison Park after just one season though, it was his performance at the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico when the world first took notice of him. With just one point from games against Morocco and Portugal, Sir Bobby Robson's England had to beat Poland to go through and while the nerves were there, Lineker was clinical in front of goal as he netted a hat-trick . Two more against Paraguay and a header in the infamous quarter final with Argentina took the forward's tally to six and was enough to earn him the tournament's Golden Boot. Barcelona beckoned as the Catalans wanted the world's most famous goalscorer playing for them and he became a hero in his first season as he score three times to give his new side a 3-2 win over Real Madrid in Camp Nou. Learning Spanish to a high level meant that Lineker was able to settle in CAREER HIGHLIGHT FA Cup glory with Spurs in 1991 the Catalan capital while Mark Hughes, with whom he had joined, struggled and was loaned to Bayern Munich after one season.

When Johan Cruyff took over at Barca and viewed his new striker as a right-winger, the Leicester-born star decided it was time to go home and in 1989 answered Terry Venables call to join him at Tottenham Hotspur . Lineker may have won the Copa del Rey and European Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona, but he looks back fondly on his only triumph in England as he helped Spurs to FA Cup triumph in 1991, despite seeing a penalty saved in the final against Nottingham Forest. The year before, the pacey striker had helped England to reach the World Cup semi-finals in Italy and netted four goals en route to make him only the eighth player to have netted ten goals in the finals overall. His international career was to end in acrimony as the hapless Graham Taylor substituted Lineker during a defeat by Sweden at the 1992 European Championships. The striker's disenchantment was plain to see as he trudged reluctantly from the field. Japan was his last port of call as he sought one last pay day, but his travels to the Far East were to end in pain as a troublesome toe injury forced Lineker to hang up his boots.

Allied with his gentleman's persona, Lineker also had something of a reputation of being slightly aloof and his lone training regime of a lukewarm bath followed by only running, further separated him from team-mates. His ability to send himself up though disproved some of that myth as he appeared on a sports quiz show in Britain where the gags were often aimed at him, before he eventually landed the plum job in British football broadcasting. Carefully selecting his words each week, Lineker can be seen as the face of the BBC's Premier League highlights programme 'Match of the Day'. With European football off the English club's agenda for the five years when Lineker was in his prime he revelled in a Barcelona side that constantly played second fiddle to Real Madrid. Had there been no ban imposed for the Heysel disaster, he would undoubtedly have led the front-line of one of England's major sides against continental opposition and that has to be one major regret. Lineker was not just a great striker and goalscorer, but also an ambassador for the game and he thoroughly deserves his place in the top ten of all-time English players.

PLAYING HONOURS European Cup Winners' Cup 1989 Tottenham Hotspur English First Division Top Scorer 1985, 1986, 1990 FIFA World Cup - Golden Boot 1986 (Mexico) DID YOU KNOW ... Lineker was part of a consortium that helped rescue his beloved Leicester City when he agreed to put in a six-figure sum. Emile Heskey followed suit. Lucas Brown, Goal.com Goal.com invites the readers to leave their comments about Gary Lineker. The best one submitted within 24 hours - whether funny, informative or just purely passionate - will be added to the article. Keep them clean, fairly short and start writing now for your chance to be a part of the series! Related Gary Lineker – TalkFootball Off the pitch… Like him or love him, there are few people who would say they don’t have a soft spot for Gary Linekar. He is not only a football legend but a national English treasure and the face of football on the BBC. Lineker was a predator in the six yard box. He seemed to know exactly where to position himself so the ball would arrive at him and he’d grab a quick goal.

Not the most flamboyant of players but certainly one of the most deadly in terms of scoring goals. He is England’s second highest scoring goal scorer of all time. And who’d have thought it from a TV presenter! Making Leicester famous for more than just crisps… Gary Winston Lineker always loved sport. He grew up in Leicester in the very middle of the middle of England. His father was a greengrocer and the trade had been with the Linekers for over 70 years. Linker had his heart set on sport though and was more than accomplished at most he played. An old school report famously said about Lineker that “He must devote less time to his sport if he is to be a success”. Gary was spotted playing football by local team Leicester City when playing at 13 and he was invited to play for their youth team. When he was 16 Gary started playing full-time. At 18 he started playing for the first team and within a couple of professional years he was already starting to make a prolific name for himself, finishing each season with enough goals to place him up there with the other leading goal scorers in the then Division One.

In 1984/85 season Gary finished as top goal-scorer with 24 and this prompted attention from the England international team. Ferry across to the Mersey Gary moved to Everton in 1985 and didn’t stop scoring for them either. He bagged a staggering 38 goals in only 52 games for The Toffees and finished top goal scorer again. During this period though it was when the rest of Europe started to become very tempted by such a deadly match-winner as Lineker and the skinny lad from Leicester soon fell onto the radar of the big boys from Spain. Big-ears goes to big club Barcelona called and Gary answered and in 1986 Lineker moved to Spanish giants Barcelona. In the same year Gary played in the Mexican World Cup and won the Golden Boot for scoring the most goals in the competition. The Spaniards were rubbing their hands at the prospect of a repeat performance at the Nou Camp. Gary did it again and he netted 21 goals for Barca in only 41 games, including a hat-trick against arch rivals Real Madrid, which led him to cult status amongst the fans. He was becoming prolific and an absolute nightmare to defend against.

With Lineker up-front Barcelona went on to win the UEFA Cup and the Copa del Rev but a fall out with Dutch legend Johan Cruiff, when he was suddenly moved out of position to the right-wing, spelt time at the Barca for golden-boot-Gary. Tottenham Hot-stuff Lineker passed on Manchester United’s generous offers and decided his return to English football would be with north London’s Tottenham Hotspur. It was here that Gary entered the peak of his form. From 105 games Gary scored in over half of them with a whopping 67 goals. He helped them win the FA Cup and, playing alongside Paul Gascoigne for most of it, he made Spurs a force to be reckoned with. Gary was voted third in the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 1991. The Setting Sun of Japan One of the most unexpected transfer moves of all time came when Gary Lineker decided to move to Japan to play for Nagoya Grampus Eight. No one in Europe seemed to even know Japan had a football league, let alone feel they deserved such a legend as Lineker.

But Gary felt his struggling injuries and weariness of the European game meant a growing football nation would suit him perfectly and also hugely benefit the country’s desire to improve their football profile. He was loved in Japan and, although he only played 23 games in the two seasons he was there, he still couldn’t resist scoring 9 more goals to add to his huge tally. Gary finished his club football career having never received a yellow or red card. He was the ultimate sportsman and the ultimate gentleman. He was one of the greatest examples of an England player we have ever seen and his goals for his country were some of the most crucial in history. Player Statistics Fifa World Cup – Golden Shoe: 1986 (Mexico) English League Top Scorer: 1985, 1986, 1990 We’re singing for England…. It began in 1984 against Scotland. It ended with 80 appearances and a staggering (but expected from Gary) 48 goals. None were more vital than in the Mexico World Cup finals when Gary helped England to qualify for the knock-out stages by scoring an incredible hat-trick against Poland.

Then against Paraguay he struck twice again to send them into the quarter finals to face Argentina. But sadly Lineker’s one goal was no match for another legend called Maradona’s two. England went out but would be back in 1990 for more drama. Italia 90 will go down in history as being one of the most dramatic moments in football for all teams involved but particularly for England. Lineker scored one of only two England goals in the group stages but then made up for it when they got to the quarter finals having beaten Belgium in the round before. His two penalties against Cameroon in the quarter-finals meant England would face their arch-rivals West Germany in the semis. It would go down as one of the most famous games of football ever. Gazza’s tears, Lineker’s 80th minute equaliser and that penalty shoot-out. Which England of course lost. After this came a somewhat sad end to his England career when, in the Euro 92 tournament, new coach Graham Taylor subbed Lineker and prevented him from trying to beat Bobby Charton’s top goal scoring record. He was upset and didn’t play for England again.

Off the pitch… At times you’d be forgiven for even remembering that Lineker was even a footballer. He is such an icon of British sport on television now that it seems he’s always been doing it. Coming on as sub in the early nineties for Des Lynam but eventually being promoted to the first team, Linker was to be the new face of the institutional Match of the Day programme. He also rose up the ranks in TV when he was a regular captain on the sports game-show They Think It’s All Over, which often revealed a more humane and jovial side to him. Gary still presents Match of the Day today, as well as the BBCs coverage of The Masters and various other occasional programmes. Aside from sport, Gary is also well know for his appearance in the Leicester-based company Walkers Crisps adverts. Which have used his squeaky clean image and reversed it to show how irresistible they are. Here is one when Gary came back from Japan. In his personal life Gary married his child-hood sweet heart Michelle and they had four sons together. His oldest boy George was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was only a baby but he has since made a full recovery.

He divorced from Michelle in 2007 but they remain amiable. Lineker continues to present sport on the BBC as well as voicing narration for children’s programme Underground Ernie and appearing as himself in the odd film too. He will always be a national treasure for the English. A man we all wish we knew; he feels like one of us. A great footballer and a great ambassador for the game of football and for sport in general. Planet World Cup - Legends - Gary Lineker Gary Lineker (England) Gary Lineker is one of football's gentlemen. In all his professional career, he didn't receive a yellow card. A silent man off the field, on it he was deadly. He started his career in Leicester scoring nearly 100 goals in less than 200 appearances. In 1985, a year before the Mexico World Cup, he moved to Everton and personally he had a fantastic season. Player Of The Year and topscorer that season with 40 goals in total. Everton, despite Lineker's goals, ended up runners-up in both the league and the FA cup after their rivals Liverpool.

In the 1986 World Cup England started slowly and needed a win in the last group match against Poland to progress to the knockout stage. A Lineker hat-trick got them through, and Paraguay, the next opponents couldn't cope with Lineker either and England won 3-0 (Lineker 2 goals). In the quarter final, Argentina and Maradona proved too strong. "The hand of God" and an individual brilliance by the little man sent Argentina through, but Lineker scored England consolation goal and that saw him topscorer in that tournament. Lineker later had spells with Barcelona and Tottenham, where he among the trophies won the Cup Winner's Cup and the FA Cup. In 1990 England reached the semifinal, Lineker scored four goals on their way there, making him only the 8th player in World Cup history to score 10 goals or more. He bowed out in the 1992 European Championship in Sweden where he and England had a disappointing tournament. All in all for England he scored 48 goals (one goal behind Bobby Charlton's record) in 80 matches.

Gary Lineker - Goals in International Matches Gary Lineker - Goals in International Matches The outstanding English player, who scored 48 international goals for his National Team, has entered the symbolic but exclusive circle of players with Two Score Goals for his national team. All matches are friendlies unless stated otherwise. Caps Goals Date Venue Opponent Score Competition 1 26/ 5/84 Glasgow Scotland 1-1 British Champ. 2 1 1 26/ 3/85 London Ireland 2-1 3 1 1/ 5/85 Bucuresti Romania 0-0 World Cup Qualifier 4 1 25/ 5/85 Glasgow Scotland 0-1 5 1 6/ 6/85 Cd. de M�xico Italy 1-2 City Tournam. 6 1 12/ 6/85 Cd. de M�xico West Germany 3-0 City Tournam.

7 2 3 16/ 6/85 Los Angeles United States 5-0 8 3 11/ 9/85 London Romania 1-1 World Cup Qualifier 9 3 6 16/10/85 London Turkey 5-0 World Cup Qualifier 10 6 13/11/85 London N. Ireland 0-0 World Cup Qualifier 11 6 29/ 1/86 Cairo Egypt 4-0 12 6 26/ 3/86 Tbilisi Soviet Union 1-0 13 6 24/ 5/86 Burnaby Canada 1-0 14 6 3/ 6/86 Monterrey Portugal 0-1 World Cup 15 6 6/ 6/86 Monterrey Morocco 0-0 World Cup 16 3 9 11/ 6/86 Monterrey Poland 3-0 World Cup 17 2 11 18/ 6/86 Cd.

de M�xico Paraguay 3-0 World Cup 18 1 12 22/ 6/86 Cd. de M�xico Argentina 1-2 World Cup 19 2 14 15/10/86 London N. Ireland 3-0 European Champ. Qual. 20 14 12/11/86 London Yugoslavia 2-0 European Champ. Qual. 21 4 18 18/ 2/87 Madrid Spain 4-2 22 18 1/ 4/87 Belfast N. Ireland 2-0 European Champ. Qual. 23 18 29/ 4/87 Izmir Turkey 0-0 European Champ. Qual. 24 1 19 19/ 5/87 London Brazil 1-1 Rous Cup 25 1 20 9/ 9/87 D�sseldorf West Germany 1-3 26 3 23 14/10/87 London Turkey 8-0 European Champ. Qual.

27 23 11/11/87 Beograd Yugoslavia 4-1 European Champ. Qual.

28 1 24 23/ 3/88 London Netherlands 2-2 29 24 27/ 4/88 Budapest Hungary 0-0 30 24 21/ 5/88 London Scotland 1-0 Rous Cup 31 1 25 24/ 5/88 London Colombia 1-1 Rous Cup 32 1 26 28/ 5/88 Lausanne Switzerland 1-0 33 26 12/ 6/88 Stuttgart Ireland 0-1 European Championship 34 26 15/ 6/88 D�sseldorf Netherlands 1-3 European Championship 35 26 18/ 6/88 Frankfurt Soviet Union 1-3 European Championship 36 26 19/10/88 London Sweden 0-0 World Cup Qualifier 37 26 16/11/88 Riyadh Saudi Arabia 1-1 38 26 8/ 2/89 Athinai Greece

 2-1 39 26 8/ 3/89 Tiran� Albania 2-0 World Cup Qualifier 40 1 27 26/ 4/89 London Albania 5-0 World Cup Qualifier 41 1 28 3/ 6/89 London Poland 3-0 World Cup Qualifier 42 1 29 7/ 6/89 K�benhavn Denmark 1-1 43 29 6/ 9/89 Stockholm Sweden 0-0 World Cup Qualifier 44 29 11/10/89 Chorz�w Poland 0-0 World Cup Qualifier 45 29 15/11/89 London Italy 0-0 46 29 13/12/89 London Yugoslavia 2-1 47 1 30 28/ 3/90 London Brazil 1-0 48 30 25/ 4/90 London Czechoslovakia 4-2 49 1 31

 15/ 5/90 London Denmark 1-0 50 31 22/ 5/90 London Uruguay 1-2 51 31 2/ 6/90 Tunis Tunisia 1-1 52 1 32 11/ 6/90 Cagliari Ireland 1-1 World Cup 53 32 16/ 6/90 Cagliari Netherlands 0-0 World Cup 54 32 21/ 6/90 Cagliari Egypt 1-0 World Cup 55 32 26/ 6/90 Bologna Belgium 1-0 World Cup 56 2 34 1/ 7/90 Napoli Cameroon 3-2 World Cup 57 1 35 4/ 7/90 Torino West Germany 1-1 (1) World Cup 58 35 7/ 7/90 Bari Italy 1-2 World Cup 59 1 36 22/ 9/90 London Hungary 1-0

 60 1 37 17/10/90 London Poland 2-0 European Champ.

Qual. 61 37 14/11/90 Dublin Ireland 1-1 European Champ. Qual. 62 2 39 6/ 2/91 London Cameroon 2-0 63 39 27/ 3/91 London Ireland 1-1 European Champ. Qual. 64 39 1/ 5/91 Izmir Turkey 1-0 European Champ. Qual. 65 1 40 25/ 5/91 London Argentina 2-2 Challenge Cup 66 40 1/ 6/91 Sydney Australia 1-0 67 1 41 3/ 6/91 Auckland New Zealand 1-0 68 4 45 12/ 6/91 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 4-2 69 45 11/ 9/91 London Germany 0-1 70 45 16/10/91 London Turkey 1-0 European Champ. Qual.

71 1 46 13/11/91 Poznan Poland 1-1 European Champ. Qual.

72 1 47 19/ 2/91 London France 2-0 73 47 25/ 3/92 Praha Czechoslovakia 2-2 74 1 48 29/ 4/92 Moskva CIS 2-2 75 48 12/ 5/92 Budapest Hungary 1-0 76 48 17/ 5/92 London Brazil 1-1 77 48 3/ 6/92 Helsinki Finland 2-1 78 48 11/ 6/92 Malm� Denmark 0-0 European Championship 79 48 14/ 6/92 Malm� France 0-0 European Championship 80 48 17/ 6/92 Stockholm Sweden 1-2 European Championship (1) England lost 3-4 on penalties Total Record Matches Won Draw Lost For Against Points Percentage 80 39 29 12 124- 57 107 66.

88 48 Goals in 80 Matches (0.60 per match) Types of Goals Friendlies 23 European Champ.

Qual. 7 World Cup Qualifiers 5 World Cup 10 Other Tournament 3 Total 48 Wayne Rooney can reach 70 England goals - Gary Lineker - BBC Sport Wayne Rooney can reach 70 England goals - Gary Lineker 10 Sep 2015 Media playback is not supported on this device Watch Rooney's dressing-room speech Wayne Rooney can score 70 England goals and his international record will last for "at least a decade", says former striker Gary Lineker. The 29-year-old forward netted his 50th goal in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Switzerland to move clear of Sir Bobby Charlton's total of 49 England goals. "It's going to be a long time before anyone gets close to Wayne," ex-England captain Lineker told BBC Radio 5 live.

"He's still going so could take it to 60 or 70 if he maintains his fitness." More on Rooney's record Quiz: England's great goalscorers Match of the Day presenter Lineker, who scored 48 England goals and is third in the all-time list, added: "Wayne does not reach 30 years old until next month and there's no-one behind him in the team with any kind of goals tally." Lineker, a former Leicester, Everton and Tottenham player, said he considered himself more of a "natural goalscorer" than Rooney, but added: "You have to play for a long time to score that many goals so his record will be there for at least a decade. "It's a wonderful achievement for Wayne and he has been pretty consistent in terms of goalscoring since he burst on the scene in spectacular fashion. Media playback is not supported on this device Rooney record is fantastic - Shearer "But he's not just a goalscorer - his all-round game is excellent, he has great spatial awareness and is a very intelligent footballer - so congratulations to him." Asked to compare Rooney with previous England strikers, Lineker said: "Different players, whatever era, have different strengths.

"Wayne is quite creative and has a better all-round game than me. "Bobby Charlton was a midfielder by and large who could score great goals from 25 yards and Jimmy Greaves was a fabulous goalscorer with a phenomenal record for England." England's leading scorers. Wayne Rooney has 50 in 107 caps; Sir Bobby Charlton scored 49 in 106; Gary Lineker scored 48 goals in 80 games; Jimmy Greaves scored 44 in 57; Michael Owen hit 40 in 89. 'You have to fear for your place' Wayne Rooney's 50th goal for England was a penalty as his side beat Switzerland 2-0 in a Euro 2016 qualifier Despite scoring more goals than any other England player, Rooney says he constantly worries about being dropped from the side. "There are a lot of young lads in this team and I don't want to give my place up," said the Manchester United captain. "I train every day as if my place is on the line and I have always done that throughout my career.

"I come and work harder every time and I want to make it hard for the manager to leave me out over the next couple of years. You have to fear for your place." 'Shaw can be the next Cole' Luke Shaw made his England debut against Denmark on 5 March 2014 England boss Roy Hodgson believes Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw can go on to have a career like Ashley Cole, who won 107 caps. Shaw, who has made six international appearances and never been on a losing England side, struggled for fitness last season following a £27m move from Southampton to Old Trafford in June 2014. "I would advise Luke to study Ashley, look at what he did for England and set his sights on the same thing," said Hodgson. "He's still only 20 and if he keeps going then he's on track to be another Ashley Cole. "It's nice to see Luke back, playing confidently and showing the form that got him the move to Manchester United.

We've always believed in him." 'Brave' Hodgson finds a 'stronger' group of players England's Nathaniel Clyne, Ross Barkley, Jonjo Shelvey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and John Stones are all aged 24 or under Hodgson has been impressed by the character shown by his young players as the side recorded eight successive wins to become the first team to qualify for Euro 2016. "We've certainly found a stronger group, there's no doubt about that - I think we've probably been quite brave," said Hodgson. "We played Jonjo Shelvey and Ross Barkley for 90 minutes in the team together and it's a fairly brave move to do those kind of things. It puts them under enormous pressure, but I think they'll learn from it.

"I really do believe we have a pretty clear idea of what our players can do and how we can use them." Share this page Gary Lineker - Biography - IMDb Gary Lineker Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trivia (24) | Personal Quotes (8) Overview (3) 5' 10" (1.78 m) Mini Bio (1) Gary Winston Lineker OBE was one of English football's top strikers in the 1980s and early 1990s. A unique blend of skill, intelligence and charm, he was venomous up front, an extreme professional, who rarely lost his temper. During his 14 year long professional career, Lineker was never cautioned, let alone sent off - very few footballers have achieved this feat. He achieved stardom with Everton F.C., after initially playing for Leicester City F.C. He then had spells with F.C. Barcelona and other big clubs before returning to Tottenham Hotspur.

After this, he played two years in Japan for Nagoya Grampus Eight before a foot injury finished his career and he returned to England, to become a TV pundit and presenter for the BBC. Through all these years, he was England's man up front, saving them more than once during the big matches. He has captained them for a few years too. An example of his value: when England was trailing 1-2 to Cameroon in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Lineker produced two penalties by his dazzling runs, and scored from both, securing England's 3-2 victory. In the next match, he equalised for England with an extremely cold-blooded strike, when they were trailing 1-0 to West Germany in the semi-final. In the 1986 World Cup, England had a lousy 1 point from the first two matches against Portugal and Morocco. Lineker's hat-trick saw England win 3-0 against Poland, and on England went into the quarter-finals, where they beat Paraguay 3-0 as well, before crashing out to Argentina, thanks to one of the greatest goals of all-time scored by Diego Maradona.

Guess who scored England's only goal of the match... - IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian Jahnsen Spouse (2) (July 1986 - 1 August 2006) (divorced) (4 children) Trivia (24) Children are George, Harry, Tobias (Toby) and Angus. Father owns a fruit-and-veg stall in Leicester Market. Main presenter for Match Of The Day. English soccer player, played for national team 1984-'92. Captain 1990-'92. His son George underwent surgery for leukaemia in 1992, which briefly meant he had to put a hold on his footballing career. He and Michelle are patrons for Leukaemia Busters, a fund raising organisation. Younger brother, Wayne, ownes a number of bars, aptly called "Bar Lineker", in the Mediterranean In the late 90s he opened the Freemans Park Odeon Cinema at his home town of Leicester. 'The Lost World Jurassic Park' was the first film to be shown.

He is the only British player to have been awarded the FIFA Golden Boot, the award for top goalscorer during a World Cup tournament. His six goals in the 1986 Mexico World Cup earned him the honour. He played in 80 internationals. He scored 48 goals for England, just one goal short of the record set by Bobby Charlton. His first England hat-trick was against Turkey on 16 October 1985. He made his England debut on 26 May 1984 against Scotland. His first goal as an England international was against the Republic of Ireland on 26 March 1985. Wore the number 10 shirt as a player. FA Cup winner with Tottenham Hotspur FC (1991). Played in Japan for Nagoya Grampus Eight. On 21st October 2002, his first club (and home team) Leicester City went into administration. Immediately he formed a consortium of agents and former players to bid to get the club out of administration.

After putting in a six-figure sum of his own money, and donations from other former players, the consortium clled 'New Fox Plc' took over the club in Feburary 2003. He left the club many years ago, but his name is still sung by fans as a mark of respect for the home-grown star. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1992 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Association Football. Has 2 honorary MA degrees He is a keen amateur golfer, with a handicap of four. He scored England's first penalty in the 1990 World Cup semi-final shootout defeat to West Germany. Second top scorer of the 1991-92 Football League First Division with 28 goals behind Ian Wright on 29 goals. His eldest two sons, George and Harry, are currently attending Charterhouse school (May 2008). Personal Quotes (8) Without the agony, the ecstasy's not quite the same.

[speaking in 2010] At the moment, there are three bodies running English football - the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League. What we really need is everyone working together for the benefit of the game in this country and the development of young players. Getting that right is all down to proper coaching from an early age. The fact that academies are now controlling the footballing education of our most promising youngsters is a good thing, too. Some of the clubs - not all of them - are teaching kids the right way to play in terms of technique, possession and positioning. They are giving them a greater understanding of the game, too. We might have to wait before the work benefits the senior set-up but starting with the very young is the way England must do it. [speaking in 2012] Technically, we're way behind some of the nations in world football at the moment. When you see England pass it's like they've never been introduced to each other. What happens to some of these players when they pull on an England shirt? Maradona [ Diego Maradona ] was unbelievable. By a million miles the best player I played with or against.

It's not meant as a pun but his left foot could manipulate the ball as if it were a hand. He was astonishing. Tiny, but unbelievably strong. There are obvious similarities with Messi [ Lionel Messi ]. They could both beat people, they were both left-footed - Maradona even more so. He barely touched it with his right. They share that ability to ride tackles and extricate themselves from unbelievably tight situations with people around them. There are massive advantages in playing now. That's why we're seeing scoring records set all over the place. You can't just be kicked constantly, like Diego [ Diego Maradona ] was in his prime, like most great dribblers were. And the quality of the surfaces they play on. In '86 in Mexico the pitches were like cabbage patches. The goal he scored against us - the good one - they dug the pitch up a few days before and just filled it with small squares of turf. Every time you put your foot on one it moved. To score that goal on that surface showed what a genius he was. [on Johan Cruyff ] I would say quite probably the best European footballer in history.

Also a very rare breed in the sense that not only was he a world class footballer, but he was also a world class coach, one of the great coaches of all time as well. I can't think of anyone else who has done that. So he's unique in that sense. But also his great legacy to the sport, what he's given the sport, the style of his football and the grace. Right through to the way Barcelona and Spain play nowadays - that is largely down to his creation. See also Wayne Rooney documentary will transform his image, claims Gary Lineker | Football | The Guardian Close This article is 1 year old Gary Lineker says that Wayne Rooney’s public image will be transformed by an upcoming documentary about him. The former England captain was delighted to see one of his successors become the nation’s record scorer on Tuesday with the goal against Switzerland that took his tally to 50 , but the impression persists that the Manchester United striker divides opinion and he is not cherished as he might be. Lineker has enjoyed access to Rooney and the player’s family for a BBC 1 programme which will be screened on Monday 5 October and he says that the public will finally see the real Rooney.

“It will be revelatory and it will transform the public opinion of him,” Lineker, who is also a presenter for BT Sport, said. “He comes over honestly and frankly. We don’t get a glimpse into footballers’ personal lives, and this film certainly does that. I think it will be a real eye-opener. He’s a decent guy with a lovely family and I think that comes across.” Congratulations Wayne Rooney – that record was due an overhaul long ago Read more The documentary is called Rooney – The Man Behind the Goals, and Lineker said with a smile that he and the production team had “really needed him to break the record” during the past international break. A late penalty against Switzerland took Rooney past Bobby Charlton on England’s all-time list, while Lineker sits third with 48 goals. “I was thrilled for Wayne and thrilled for the programme that we have made,” Lineker said. Rooney said: “I have been approached many times about allowing the cameras into our lives and always said ‘no’. But now seems the right time.

This film is not just about my goals, it’s about the people I care most about – my team-mates, the people closest to me but, most importantly, my family.” Rooney’s new record looks safe enough for at least another generation with Danny Welbeck, on 14 England goals, his nearest challenger. Lineker said it was pointless to put a figure on the number of international goals that the 29-year-old could score but he predicted it would be “into the 60s”. Lineker said: “You never know how long a player has left, especially with strikers. Once you turn 30, as a striker, you are usually on the way down and playing from the age of 16, at such a high level, has to take its toll. But as a player who is not entirely reliant on pace, you would hope that Wayne’s got a few years left. Physically, he is very strong and you would hope he can make it to the next World Cup. “You can see a lot more goals coming. You would definitely, definitely back him to score plenty more. He could put the record, not out of sight, but into the 60s.

With the break-up of the old Soviet Union, the break-up of Balkan countries, plus Liechtenstein, San Marino and so on, you would fancy his chances of scoring more. You would think that when he looks at England’s next World Cup qualifying group, his eyes would light up.” England have been drawn to face Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta but right now, it is next summer’s European Championship in France that looms large. Rooney has scored six goals at major tournaments, which is four short of Lineker’s haul. Lineker, though, would be happy to see Rooney break this record, too. “I hope he does – we will probably win the Euros, if he does,” he said. “Personal records are not what football is all about but as goalscorers we live and die by figures and numbers because, ultimately, that’s how people will judge you. He’s got six in tournament football, so he could conceivably go past my total and that would suggest England are doing rather well, which is long overdue.” BT Sport is the new home of European football, with all Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League matches exclusively live. Visit btsport.com/europe

Question: How many goals did footballer Gary Lineker score for England?
Answer: 48