Gary Lineker

Lineker picks England as slight favourites and predicts they will win the World Cup.

“I think England have to be slight favourites. I'm going to go with England”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 39:03

Lineker predicts Spain will beat Belgium comfortably in the quarterfinal.

“I can't see Belgium living with Spain. I think Spain win that relatively comfortably”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 38:24

Lineker says the 2026 World Cup has gone far better than he expected and has been a triumph overall.

“But I think it's been way better than I actually thought it would be”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 4:19

Lineker considers Maradona's second goal in the 1986 quarterfinal the greatest goal ever scored.

“he scored what I think is the greatest goal that's ever been scored in a football match”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 44:02

Lineker ranks Messi above Pelé and Maradona as the greatest player ever.

“In terms for me, the best players ever have been two Argentinians and a Brazilian Pele, Maradona and now Messi. Messi, for me, beats them all”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 44:46

Lineker accepts fault for the post containing a rat emoji, calling it an honest error he should have caught.

“I should have been more vigilant and I should have seen it, but I didn't”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 32:37

Lineker says criticism of athletes' political speech often comes from the same people who champion free speech.

“it's generally from the people that clamor, go on and on and on about free speech”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 30:56

Lineker says addiction specialists have told him gambling is the hardest addiction to overcome.

“They say the hardest one to kick is the gambling addiction”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 29:39

Lineker warns that micro-markets such as corners and yellow cards open football to possible match-fixing.

“you can bet on how many corners and whether a player is going to get a yellow card. And that opens it up”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 27:46

Lineker questions whether FIFA's revenues really return to the game, citing secrecy in its finances.

“yes, it goes back into the game, but does it? Does it? We don't really know. It's all a little bit secretive in the Swiss banks”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 23:35

Lineker argues FIFA's ticket prices are outrageous and that profit should not outweigh the fan experience.

“I don't think it's right that fans should have to take out a mortgage or sell their car to get a ticket to go and watch a football match”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 5:19

Lineker argues the U.S. needs a long-term plan and it will take decades to become a genuine contender.

“Look 10, 20, 30 years ahead because it is realistically going to take that long for you to challenge”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 20:40

Lineker notes that in Europe aspiring players must join a club by age 16, making the American college pathway too late.

“if you've got any hope of being a soccer player, you've got to join a club when you're 16”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 20:40

Lineker believes Pochettino should have refused the reprieve for Balogun.

“I think Mauricio missed the trick there. I think he should have just said, no, we're not doing that. It's not right”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 16:28

Lineker says postponing Balogun's suspension was a big deal because it undermined the integrity of the sport.

“It's a pretty big deal because I think it goes against the integrity of our sport”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 11:23

Lineker accuses Nigel Farage of manufacturing the Clacton by-election to distract from his conduct.

“which has been completely manufactured by Nigel Farage to try and distract from”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 47:32

Lineker says he hates VAR's effect on football but wishes it had existed for Maradona's handball goal.

“Now, I hate VAR and what it's done to our game, but I could have done with it that day”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 44:02

Lineker argues racism in football is fundamentally a societal problem and governments must set a better example.

“is it a football issue or is it a societal issue? I think it's the latter”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 36:14

Lineker, who was present when Russia and Qatar won hosting rights, says it was obvious the bids were corrupt.

“what made it feel dirty was it was so obvious that the bids were corrupt”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 23:57

Lineker says criticism of Pulisic is unfair because his abilities were overhyped; he is very good but not world-class.

“he's a very good footballer, but he's not a great player. He's not one of the best in the world by a long stretch”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 19:31