Gary Lineker has been best known for his presenter roles over the last 25 years, however, in his playing days, he was one of England’s greatest strikers.
At club level, Lineker starred for Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham, while also heading to Barcelona in 1986, the same year he won the Golden Boot at the World Cup for the Three Lions.
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The ex-forward, who almost signed for Manchester United before heading to Spurs in 1989, never received a yellow or red card during his career.
But who does Lineker see as his greatest of all time? He answered that question and, despite honourable mentions for Johan Cruyff and Zinedine Zidane, Lineker named his four-player Mount Rushmore of all-time greats, with no room for Cristiano Ronaldo.
4 Pele Brazil
An attacking icon for more than 20 years from 1956, Pele actually holds the record for most goals scored with 1,279 in 1,363 games.
He won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and at club level, spent 18 years with Santos. Pele was the first player on Lineker’s Mount Rushmore, and following his passing in 2022, Lineker said:
“Pele’s hugely significant in not only the development of football, but also in football itself and the enjoyment of football – which is the most important thing. It’s an entertainment business, and he was one of the great entertainers – through his pure skill, talent and ability. He was also a proven goalscorer.
“Pele was an out-and-out goalscorer, and he’s played a huge part in football. The name Pele is just synonymous with football.”
3 Diego Maradona Argentina
Next on Lineker’s Mount Rushmore is someone who broke his and England’s hearts at the 1986 World Cup, Diego Maradona.
His famous Hand of God goal against England on the biggest stage has gone down in history, but he also scored one of the best individual goals in the same game to help Argentina win 2-1.
Maradona took his country to a World Cup triumph that year, and at club level, he starred for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys.
Following Maradona’s passing, Lineker said: “By some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time. After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God.”
2 Ronaldo Brazil
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, nicknamed O Fenomeno and R9, also makes Lineker’s list, with the powerful striker winning two World Cups for Brazil.
As Lineker states, Ronaldo missed large parts of his career through injury, but when he was fully fit or close to 100%, he was unstoppable on his day.
“He did incredible things and he was joyous, but he was out of the game for three-and-a-half-years and managed to come back and win a Golden Boot at the World Cup, I mean, really?”
1 Lionel Messi Argentina
Rounding off Lineker’s Mount Rushmore is Lionel Messi, who tops the charts as his “favourite player of all time”.
With his ties to Barcelona, the Englishman has been vocal in his thoughts about Messi all throughout the Argentine’s career, calling him “a gift from the footballing Gods”.
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, finally lifted the World Cup in 2022, with Lineker calling the magician “the best player of all time”.
Years Messi has won the Ballon d’Or
Club
2009
Barcelona
2010
Barcelona
2011
Barcelona
2012
Barcelona
2015
Barcelona
2019
Barcelona
2021
Barcelona
2023
Inter Miami
“He’s [Lionel Messi] my favourite player of all time, quite simply because he’s the best player of all time in my view.”