He’s not been off our screens for long, and it appears that Gary Lineker just wanted a change of scenery as he takes up a role with La Liga TV for the new season.
A former Barcelona striker himself, as well as an aficionado of Spanish football for many years, Lineker will bring an enviable presenting canon to the channel, and joins a high-quality line up featuring Graham Hunter, Guillem Balague, Sid Lowe, Semra Hunter, Pete Jenson, Andy West, Andrea Orlandi, Chapi Ferrer and Terry Gibson.
The move follows Lineker’s earlier claim that he had decided to quit BT Sport’s Champions League coverage in order to be able to spend more time with his boys watching Leicester City in Europe.
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The Evening Standard suggest that Lineker has signed a multi-year agreement with the channel, and it isn’t believed to affect his hosting of BBC’s Match of the Day highlights programme.
It goes to prove that he remains a safe and hugely popular pair of hands when it comes to coverage of the beautiful game.
Lineker himself was delighted.
“I’m thrilled to become a part of LaLigaTV, a channel I’ve watched every weekend for the last two seasons,” he was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard.
“I have fond memories of my time playing in Spain and very much look forward to sharing the excitement of LaLiga with viewers in the UK and elsewhere.”