Gary Lineker
The Catalyst
Ideas with a spark, energy, range and the ability to start things.
Gary Lineker is a renowned former footballer and current broadcaster who actively engages in social advocacy. This interview highlights his ability to mobilize public opinion and spark discussions around important societal issues, showcasing his role as a catalyst for change.
“He was late, kind of 78, 79, and then was going up to Leicester almost every day and lots of times to see him. And for the first time and a half, we'd really had proper conversations. And I remember him, we're talking about football. And I said, you know, my career's really surprised me. And he went, no, he said, what do you mean?”
“When I went there, I kind of looked at the players that had been successful and English players that had gone abroad. And the ones that had done well kind of the ones that immersed themselves in the culture learned the language. People like Ray Wilkins and people like Trevor Francis.”
“I didn't know the history, you learned it very quickly. You know, obviously, it was not that long, really, after Franco's, and there was very much that feeling. They used to talk to me that, you know, the thing called Los Kules and Mess Came Club is Barcelona, which is more than a football club.”
“That was the big bonus for us. And that's purely selfish thing because you could actually normally we'd park ourselves in a studio, say Russia, for example, in the middle of Red Square and have a nice view, but never sit, but watch a football match on the telly. Whereas there, we actually went to every game that we covered.”
The Rest Is Politics: Leading — 11: Gary Lineker: Politics, football and the BBC
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