Gary Lineker's Match of the Day sign-off says it all as he prepares for exit - The Mirror

Long-serving Match of the Day host Gary Lineker will say goodbye to the Saturday night highlights show at the end of the season. with his successors already confirmed

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker is nearing his last appearance on the show, but he recognised Saturday's edition wasn't one which will live long in the memory. Lineker will host the Saturday night BBC football highlights show for the final time at the end of May, remaining with the broadcaster for live coverage for just one more year after that.

There were five Premier League games on Saturday, with long-serving host Lineker joined by Ashley Williams and Shay Given to pore over the action. It wasn't a classic, though, with those five games producing a grand total of just eight goals.

Four of those goals came at Craven Cottage, where Fulham's European push was dealt a blow as Everton came from behind to win 3-1. There were also victories for Brentford at Ipswich, Brighton at Wolves and Aston Villa at Bournemouth, while Southampton vs Manchester City ended goalless.

“After 26 years of Saturday nights, I think that was probably one of the worst," Lineker said, before turning to the two pundits and adding: "No offence, lads. Time to move on, I reckon. Goodbye.”

Lineker won't be involved on Sunday, with Mark Chapman set to present Match of the Day 2 after five more league games. Four of the top five are in action against one another, with champions Liverpool hosting second-place Arsenal while at least one of Newcastle and Chelsea will end the day in the Champions League places after their meeting at St James' Park.

There are no Saturday matches next weekend due to the FA Cup final, with Lineker hosting live coverage of the Wembley showpiece before Chapman hosts a highlights show the following day. Lineker will be back in the hotseat for the final day of the season, though, with a full programme of 10 matches.

There was plenty of speculation over who might replace the 64-year-old on the show. Ultimately, the BBC decided on three successors, with Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates sharing presenting duties between them.

"I always wanted one more contract, and I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to do three years [more] and I think with the way the rights issue comes up, it didn't," Lineker said in a BBC interview with Amol Rajan in April. "I'm not saying they didn't want me to do one more contract, they did because they've given me one more contract.

"In the end, I think there was a feeling that, because it was a new rights period, it was a chance to change the programme. I think it was their preference that I didn't do Match of the Day for one more year, so they could bring in new people. So it's slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but to be honest, it's a scenario that suits me perfectly."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.