Jeff Stelling makes Gary Lineker feelings perfectly clear after quitting Match of the Day

Broadcasting titan has claimed there is no one better than outgoing host

In his newly published memoir, Saturday Afternoon Fever, the Soccer Saturday legend boldly asserts "no disrespect to the rest, he is the best" while reflecting on Lineker's illustrious television career. on Monday evening that Lineker would be stepping down as MOTD host at the end of this season.

The BBC's top earner, raking in a whopping £1.35million annually, will bid farewell to the show after an impressive 25-year stint, making him the longest-serving presenter in the programme's history. Stelling also left fans gobsmacked at the close of the 2022/2023 season when he announced his departure from his role as anchor on Sky's beloved Saturday afternoon football show.

The 68-year-old had worked for Sky since 1992 and was the face of that show for 25 years. However, he believes that Lineker was in fact the real deal when it came to bringing football to the UK public.

"People think that what Gary Lineker does is easy. I can assure you it is not," Stelling says in his book. "He makes it look easy just as the likes of Des Lynam and Frank Bough did in their day.

"He achieves that with hard work and in-depth preparation. I was told that before he first hosted the BBC 's flagship football show, he would spend month after month doing practice runs in the studio. It certainly wouldn't surprise me.

"He avoids cliches like the plague. He is witty, insightful and has a great rapport with his team of pundits. With no disrespect to the rest, he is the best."

Stelling also leapt to Lineker's defence against critics who believe the former Leicester striker should refrain from expressing his views on current affairs. The 63-year-old was famously suspended by the BBC in 2023 for a series of tweets he made about government policy, and has often faced backlash on social media for voicing his opinions, however, Stelling believes he has a right to an opinion as much as anyone else.

"I also admire the way he uses his platform to speak out on perceived injustices. I know he has seen a million social media responses that include the phrase 'Stick to football Gary' but why should he? Why is the opinion of an ex-footballer less valuable than a cab driver's, or a surgeon's, or a twenty-five-year-old MP with no experience of work and precious little of life? (I'm asking for a friend here!)" Stelling adds.

Stelling opened up about the real reasons behind his startling departure from Sky in January, exposing the intense "battle" he was grappling with weekly. In a discussion with , Stelling confided his struggle of "fighting" to make his voice heard.

"Even though I'd been there a long time, I felt some of my views weren't considered at all," he said. "Every week I was fighting a battle. I got tired of fighting and it was making me ill. Eventually, I went to Sky's management and said: 'This is making me unwell. I've got to step away from it'."