Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

Gary Winston Lineker - a former English professional football player and current sports broadcaster. He holds the England record for most goals in the FIFA World Cup finals with 10 goals scored. He played as a striker in such clubs as "Leicester City", "Everton", "Barcelona", "Tottenham Hotspur" and "Nagoya Grampus Eight". In the period from 1984 to 1992 he played in the national team of England.

MediaCareer Lineker started at the BBC, where he presented the flagship football pitches called Match of the Day in the late 90s. He also worked on TV channels Al Jazeera Sports, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports Network, and is currently engaged in a program about the UEFA Champions League on BT Sports.

Sports career

Gary Lineker began his professional career at the club "Leicester City" in 1978. In the season 1984/85 won the first place in the First Division in England. The player then moved to the "Everton", where he first played in the UEFA Champions League. As part of "butterscotch" player was the top scorer in the league, scoring 30 goals in 41 matches. His finest hour has drawn attention from the "Barcelona", with which he signed a contract for next season. Together with the "Catalans" Lineker won the Cup "Copa del Rey" in 1988 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1989.

Soon, football returned to England, where he joined the "Tottenham", and in three seasons was the author of 67 goals in 105 games, winning the FA Cup. His last club was a Japanese "Nagoya Grampus Eight", where he spent two seasons. Lineker finished his career in 1994.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

During his long playing career G. Lineker never received a red or yellow card. In 1990 he was awarded the Fair Play Award Award from the International Football Federation FIFA. During his career, which lasted 16 years, the striker scored 330 goals in 567 games, from this point of 282 goals at club level. After retirement, he was included in the Hall of Fame of English football. Lineker is a big fan of the "Leicester City", for which he created a consortium (which itself and headed), to invest in the club a significant amount of money to be saved from bankruptcy. After that, he was appointed vice-president of "Leicester City".

Biography

Gary Lineker was born November 30, 1960 in Leicester, England. Parents gave him the middle name Winston, because both were fans of Winston Churchill, whom the son was born on the same day. The guy with the child started to play football. All free time spent in the yard, playing ball with his younger brother Wayne. Gary was at school Caldecote Road which was in the brownstone, near Leicester. After studying he helped his father on the market which traded fruit and vegetables. In school, Gary joined the football section, which was one of the leaders of the team. Relatives and friends remember that Lineker also played excellent cricket and was the captain of the children's team. Man too much himself devoted football, for what often received poor grades in school. Soon, the teenager realized that he wanted to connect his life to professional football. In 1976 he was accepted into the youth academy of the club "Leicester City".

A career in "Leicester City": the beginning of a career path

In the period from 1976 to 1978, Gary Lineker played in the youth team, "Leicester City". For the first team debut in 1979 in a match against "Oldham Athletic" in the second division of England. A year later, in the "foxes", he won the second division title. In six seasons in a modest club Lineker scored 95 goals. In season 1984/85 the striker was the top scorer of the First Division. In 1984 he was invited to the national team of England by Kevin Keegan - the head coach at the time. The first match for the national team was against Scotland.

Go to "Everton"

In the 1985/86 season the striker has signed a contract with "Everton", which paid 800 thousand pounds for him. During the season, Lineker scored 40 goals in 57 matches. As part of "butterscotch" he was the best scorer of the First Division (won Golden Boot), this time the striker had in my statistics 30 goals (three hat-tricks) and helped the team win the second place in the championship.

A career in the "Barcelona". Two Spanish trophy and a lot of goals

After receiving the Golden Boot award for the top scorer in the 1986 British championship, footballer Gary Lineker received a proposal for a transfer from the Catalan "Barcelona". As a result, the English striker has agreed and signed a three-year contract, his transfer fee amounted to almost three million pounds. football decided to move to the "Leopard" was justified by the fact that the team was steering English coach Terry Venables. In addition, the team was purchased by one more player attacking unit manager Mark Hughes.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

In the "Barcelona" Lineker has spent 99 matches and scored 43 goals. Here he won the Spanish Cup in 1988 and the Cup Winners' Cup 1989. For three seasons, "Barça" and could not be higher than the "Real Madrid" in the Spanish championship. To replace Terry Venables came Dutch specialist Johan Kroff, which immediately made it clear that it will not develop a strategic model of the British, and create a new one. In addition, Gary Lineker was injured knee, resulting in a long time he was not fit for the team. In "Barcelona" has occurred composition of the rotation, and many players have gone to other clubs, was among them, and G. Lineker.

Career for "Tottenham". Winning the FA Cup in 1991 and the continuation of the history of striker

In 1989, "Manchester United", led by Alex Ferguson expressed their desire to sign the two British strikers of "Barcelona" - Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker. Achievements of the "Red Devils" were extremely low, or rather they did not exist, so the club began to reconstruct the composition. Mark Hughes has been purchased. But Lineker considered more appropriate to go into the "Tottenham", which offered him no worse conditions. The amount of the transfer of the transaction amounted to 1, 1 million pounds.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

During the three seasons spent on the team, Gary has issued 67 goals in 105 matches and won the 1991 FA Cup in the 1989/90 football season finished as top scorer of the championship, having to its credit 24 goals. In the same season, "Spurs" won bronze medals of the First Division in England.

In 1991/92 striker Gary Lineker was the second scorer with 28 goals, conceded the first position Yanomu Wright, who scored a goal more. The only difference is that the current holder of the Golden Boot this season had 42 games, and Lineker just 35 because he was injured several times.

Go to the Japanese club "Nagoya Grampus Eight". Completion playing career

In November 1991, Gary received a proposal for a two-year contract from the Japanese club "Nagoya Grampus Eight". The deal amounted to nearly 2 million pounds. Englishman officially joined the club after being held a farewell match against "Manchester United" May 2, 1992, in which he scored a consolation goal in the defeat of 3: 1.

As part of the Japanese club G. Lineker spent two seasons during which scored 9 goals in 23 matches. In September 1994, the Englishman announced the end of his football career. British media for a long time to disseminate information that Gary Lineker will finish his career in England - or in "Middlesbrough", or "Southampton". Footballer really thought about to sign a contract with these clubs, but at the last moment changed his mind and hung up his boots.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

Career for England

In the period from 1984 to 1992, Gary Lineker played for the national team of England. The first game against the Scotland striker was the fall of 1984. At the World Championships in 1986 he played five matches and was top scorer of the tournament with six goals, for which he received the Golden Boot. Gary Lineker became the first Englishman who managed to win this award. In the match against Poland striker issued a quick hat-trick, and in the next match repeated the same success against Paraguay. In the quarterfinals of the World Cup England team met with the Argentine national team, this match Diego Maradona has issued his legendary goal, "Hand of God", providing his team pass on.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

In 1988 Lineker played at the European Championships, but in this tournament the striker could not scored a goal. All group stage matches were played. It later emerged that Lineker played on the field, being ill with hepatitis.

At the 1990 World Championships Gary he scored four goals and helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals, where they met with Germany. The basic score of the match ended in a draw 1: 1, the whole stadium was in anticipation of penalties. Gary Lineker of England came to the first point and scored, but it was not enough. Players Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle did not realize his penalty, without giving opportunity his team to play in the final. In the match for third place the British ceded the Italian national team.

The last match for the national team

His last match for the national team Gary Lineker spent on the "Euro-92" against Sweden. Currently, the striker is ranked third in the list of top scorers in the England team in the history of (scoring 80 goals), behind Bobby Charlton (106) and Wayne Rooney (119).

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

Life

Gary Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in 1986. The marriage were born four sons - George, Harry, Tobias and Angus. In May 2006, the couple divorced after Michelle filed for divorce in court, where the documents indicated that Gary behaves inappropriately for married life, thus causing her stress and anxiety.

In the early 90's eldest son George survived a rare form of leukemia. The guy managed to recover, and then G. Lineker began to support the charity campaign for children CLIC Sargent. Former footballer often appear in advertisements in support of charity and encourages all people to donate blood for donation. In addition, Lineker has been actively involved in other charitable events - to raise funds for the organization Leukemia Busters, has been the face of the project Fight for Life Cancer Research UK, and more.

Gary Lineker, the football player: biography, personal life, sports career, to achieve

In October 2002, Gary backed his former club "Leicester City", collecting £ 5 million to protect it from bankruptcy. Former football player invested in the project's own six-figure sum, but also organized a fund to raise money among the fans. As a result, "Leicester City" was saved.

Lineker remarried Danielle Bux on September 2, 2009. The ceremony took place in the town of Ravello, Italy. In January 2016 the couple announced their divorce after six years of marriage. Danielle Bux said that the reason for the divorce is Gary reluctance to have children.