Lineker began his football career at Leicester City in 1978, and finished as theFirst Division's joint top goalscorer in1984–85. He then moved to league champions Everton, where he won both thePFA Players' Player of the Year andFWA Footballer of the Year awards in his debut season, before moving to Spanish club Barcelona, where he won the1987–88 Copa del Rey and the1989 European Cup Winners' Cup. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1989, and won his second FWA Footballer of the Year and theFA Cup, his only major trophy in English football. Lineker's final club wasNagoya Grampus Eight; he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.
Lineker made his England debut in 1984, earning 80caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career, which made him England's second-highest goalscorer on his retirement. He remains England's fourth-highest scorer, behindHarry Kane,Wayne Rooney andBobby Charlton, and his goals-to-games ratio remains one of the best for the country.[2][3] His six goals in the1986 World Cup made him the tournament's top scorer, receiving theGolden Boot, and he came second in the 1986Ballon d'Or. Lineker was again integral to England's progress to the semi-finals of the1990 World Cup, scoring another four goals. He still holds England's record for goals in the World Cup.
Lineker never received ayellow orred card during his career,[4] and he also never won a top-flight league title.[5] He was honoured in 1990 with theFIFA Fair Play Award. In a senior career which spanned 16 years and 654 competitive games, Lineker scored a total of 331 goals, including 283 goals at club level. After his retirement from football he was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame. A keen supporter of Leicester City, he led a consortium in 2002 that invested in his old club, saving it from bankruptcy, and was appointed honorary vice-president.
Early life
Gary Winston Lineker was born on 30 November 1960 inLeicester, the son of Margaret P. (Abbs) and Barry Lineker.[6] He was given his middle name in honour ofWinston Churchill, with whom he shares a birthday.[7] He has one brother, Wayne, who is two years his junior. Lineker grew up with his family in the city, playing football with Wayne.[8] Their father was a greengrocer, as were their grandfather William and great-grandfather George,[9] in Leicester. Barry Lineker ran Lineker's fruit and veg stall inLeicester Market, and as a child and a young player Gary regularly helped out on the stall.[10] Lineker, who is white, received racial abuse as a child for his dark features.[11]
Lineker first attended Caldecote Road School[12] (Caldecote Juniors),Braunstone in Leicester (east of the Meridian Centre). He then went to the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School (nowCity of Leicester College) on Downing Drive inEvington, owing to his preference for football rather than rugby, which was the main sport of most schools near his home. Lineker was equally talented at both football andcricket. From the ages of 11 to 16 he captained the Leicestershire Schools cricket team, and had felt that he had a higher chance of succeeding at it rather than football.[13] He later stated onThey Think It's All Over that as a teenager he idolised formerEngland captainDavid Gower, who was playing forLeicestershire at the time.[14] During his youth he played forAylestone Park Youth, later becoming the club's president.[15]
Lineker left school with fourO Levels. One of his teachers wrote on his report card that he "concentrates too much on football" and that he would "never make a living at that". He then joined the youth academy atLeicester City in 1976.[13]
Club career
Leicester City
Lineker began his career at his hometown club Leicester City after leaving school in 1977, turning professional in the1978–79 season and making his senior debut on New Year's Day 1979 in a 2–0 win atFilbert Street overOldham Athletic in theSecond Division. He earned a Second Division title medal a year later with 19 appearances, but played just nine league games in1980–81 as Leicester went straight back down.[citation needed]
Lineker became a regular player in1981–82, scoring 19 goals in all competitions that season. Although Leicester missed out on promotion, they reached the semi-finals of theFA Cup, and clinched promotion a year later as Lineker scored 26 times in the Second Division. In1983–84, he enjoyed regular First Division action for the first time and was the division's second-highest scorer with 22 goals, although Leicester finished in 15th place. He was the First Division's joint top scorer in1984–85 with 24 goals, and was enjoying a prolific partnership withAlan Smith. By this stage he was attracting the attention of bigger clubs, and a move from Filbert Street was looking certain.[citation needed]
Everton
In the 1985 close season, defending league championsEverton signed Lineker for £800,000; he scored 40 goals in 57 games for his new team in the1985–86 season. Lineker's first game for Everton happened to be away to Leicester City; at half time, he walked into the Leicester dressing room by mistake.[16] He was again the First Division's leading goalscorer, this time with 30 goals (including three hat-tricks), and helped Everton finish second in the league. While at Everton, they reached theFA Cup final for the third consecutive year but lost 3–1 toLiverpool, despite Lineker giving them an early lead when he outpacedAlan Hansen to score. Liverpool had also pipped Everton to the title by just two points. "I was only on Merseyside a short time, nine or 10 months in total really, but it was still a happy time personally, while professionally it was one of the most successful periods of my career", he says. "I still have an affinity towards Everton."[17]
Lineker scored threehat-tricks for Everton; at home toBirmingham City in a 4–1 league win on 31 August 1985, at home toManchester City in a 4–0 win on 11 February 1986, and then in the penultimate league game of the season on 3 May 1986, when they kept their title hopes alive with a 6–1 home win overSouthampton. On his final league appearance, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win overWest Ham United whose own title hopes had just disappeared. Lineker and his colleagues were denied title glory as Liverpool also won their final league game of the season at Chelsea.[18] Lineker has said since retiring from football that this Everton team was the best club side he ever played in.[17]
Barcelona
After winning theGolden Boot at the1986 World Cup in Mexico there were many courters for Lineker across Europe. Barcelona at the time were managed by fellow EnglishmanTerry Venables, who had arrived in 1984, and who had already brought inScottish strikerSteve Archibald to great effect, and was to also bring inManchester United andWales strikerMark Hughes.[19] Lineker was signed byBarcelona for £2.8 million.[20] Barcelona would give Lineker his first chance of European football, as Leicester had never qualified for Europe while he played for them, and Everton were denied a place in theEuropean Cup for 1985–86 due to the ban on English clubs in European competitions following theHeysel disaster.[21][22][23]
Barcelona had won the'84-85 La Liga title in Venables first season at the club, and the1986 Copa de la Liga the following season but had lost 2 other finals, so there was great anticipation of success at theCamp Nou for Lineker. He made his Barcelona debut againstRacing Santander, scoring twice.[24] Barcelona led the league for much of the'86-87 season, until a pair of losses against Real Zaragoza and Sporting Gijon gave advantage to Real Madrid. Two further losses to the same team cemented Barcelona's second place finish. Lineker ultimately had scored 20 goals in 40 league games during his first season, including ahat-trick in a 3–2 win over archrivalsReal Madrid to make him somewhat of a cult hero.[25] However the club had crashed out of the Copa del Rey at the first hurdle, and suffered a shock defeat toDundee United in the'87 UEFA Cup where Lineker hadn't scored any goals in 8 appearances.
For the'87-88 season hopes were still high for the club, but following three back to back losses at the start of the season Terry Venables was fired andLuis Aragonés brought in to replace him as manager. Linekers form remained strong, and he helped the club recover some form and scored a double against Real Madrid in a 4-1 win in the December, but he finished the season with only 16 goals in 35 league games as the club finished 6th, however he had contributed a little more to the cup efforts as the club won the1988 Copa del Rey, but failed again at the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Cup.
In the summer, the club endured a tumultuous off season that culminated in the "Hesperia Mutiny" that saw a large number of players and coaches fired after protesting pay and conditions at the club.[26] In the aftermath Barcelona moved to sign former player for the club during their last most successful era, and current Ajax managerJohan Cruyff. The club set about rebuilding its team, retaining only a skeleton of the squad that had finished '87-88 in 6th place - including Lineker. The impact of Cruyff was immediate. Barcelona became a much more attacking side, and finished the season'88-89 season in a much improved 2nd place. However Lineker lost his favoured position at centre forward to new signingJulio Salinas, and saw himself pushed out wide right for most of the season resulting in both the lowest goal output (6) and appearances (26) in the league of Lineker's career as a starter. The club won1989 European Cup Winners' Cup final where Lineker fared better than previous seasons, scoring four times in 8 outings.
As the season came to an end, Barcelona was seeking to raise much needed funds for Cruyff and to free up the "foreigner" spot in the squad to continue his rebuilding project at the club, while Lineker was desperate to find first team opportunities in his favoured position.[27]
With 42 goals in 103 La Liga appearances, Lineker had become the highest scoring British player in the competition's history, this was later surpassed byGareth Bale in March 2016.[28]
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United managerAlex Ferguson attempted to sign Lineker to partner his ex-Barcelona teammateMark Hughes in attack,[29] but Lineker instead signed forTottenham Hotspur in July 1989 for £1.1 million. Over three seasons, he scored 67 goals in 105 league games and won the FA Cup while playing for the club. He finished as top scorer in theFirst Division in the1989–90 season, scoring 24 goals as Spurs finished third.[citation needed]
Lineker finally collected an English trophy when he won the1991 FA Cup final with Spurs, who beatNottingham Forest 2–1. This was despite Lineker having a goal controversially disallowed for offside and also having a penalty saved by goalkeeperMark Crossley.[30] Lineker had contributed to Tottenham's run to the final. In the semi-final he scored twice in a 3–1 win overNorth London rivalsArsenal.[31]
Lineker was the top division's second-highest goalscorer in1991–92 with 28 goals from 35 games, behindIan Wright, who scored 29 times in 42 games. Despite Lineker's personal performance, Tottenham finished this final pre-Premier League season in 15th place. His last goal in English football came on the last day of the season in a 3–1 defeat to Manchester United atOld Trafford.[citation needed]
Nagoya Grampus Eight
In November 1991, Lineker accepted an offer of a two-year contract fromJ1 League clubNagoya Grampus Eight. The transfer fee paid toTottenham Hotspur was £2 million. He officially joined Nagoya Grampus Eight after playing his final game for Spurs on 2 May 1992, when he scored the consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat byManchester United on the last day of the season.[32] Shortly before accepting the offer from Nagoya Grampus Eight, Tottenham had rejected an offer from ambitious Second Division clubBlackburn Rovers, who had recently been taken over by steel baronJack Walker.[33]
Having scored nine goals in 23 appearances over two injury-impacted[34] seasons for Nagoya Grampus Eight, he announced his retirement from playing in September 1994. The English national media had previously reported that he would be returning to England to complete his playing career atMiddlesbrough orSouthampton.[35]
International career
Lineker wascapped once by theEngland B national team, playing in a 2–0 home win over New Zealand's B team on 13 November 1984.[36] He first played for the fullEngland team againstScotland in 1984. He played five games in the1986 World Cup and was top scorer of the tournament with six goals, winning theGolden Boot, making him the first English player to have done so. He scored the second quickest hat-trick ever at a FIFA World Cup tournament againstPoland, the second English player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, and scored two goals againstParaguay in the second round. He played most of the tournament wearing a lightweight cast on his forearm. He scored for England in the World Cup quarter-final againstArgentina, but the game ended in defeat asDiego Maradona scored twice for the opposition (the first goal being the "Hand of God" handball, and the second being the "Goal of the Century"). In 1988, Lineker played inEuro 88, but failed to score as England lost all three Group games. It was later established that he had been suffering fromhepatitis.[37][38]
In the1990 World Cup, he scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals. He was unwell during the tournament, and accidentally defecated in his shorts during the opening group game against theRepublic of Ireland.[39] AfterAndreas Brehme sent England 1–0 down in the semi-final, Lineker received a pass fromPaul Parker and escaped twoWest German defenders on his way to scoring the equaliser, but the West Germans triumphed in the penalty shoot-out and went on to win the trophy. Later he said: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."[40] Lineker's equaliser appears in the popular England national team anthem, "Three Lions", with the lyric "When Lineker scored".[41]
He retired from international football with eightycaps and 48 goals, one fewer goal than SirBobby Charlton's England record (which Charlton accrued over 106 caps). In what proved to be his last England match, againstSweden atEuro 92, he was substituted by England coachGraham Taylor in favour of Arsenal strikerAlan Smith, ultimately denying him the chance to equal — or even better — Charlton's record.[42] He had earlier missed apenalty that would have brought him level, in a pre-tournament friendly againstBrazil.[43] He was visibly upset at the decision, not looking at Taylor as he took the bench.
He scored fourgoals in an England match on two occasions and is one of very few players never to have been given a yellow card or a red card in any type of game.[44]
Media career
Sports presenting
Following retirement from professional football, Lineker developed a career in the media, initially on theBBC forRadio 5 Live and as a football pundit. He appeared as a team captain on the sports game showThey Think It's All Over from 1995 to 2003. He also presentedGrandstand in the London studio while presenterDes Lynam was inAintree when theGrand National was abandoned because of a bomb alert at the racecourse in 1997.[45] In 1999, he replaced Lynam as the BBC's anchorman for football coverage, including its flagship football television programmeMatch of the Day, becomingBBC Sport's highest paid presenter.[46] Following the departure ofSteve Rider from the BBC in 2005, Lineker, who is a keen recreational golfer with ahandicap of four, became the new presenter for the corporation's golf coverage. Despite receiving some criticism from his peers,[8] he continued to front the BBC's coverage of the Masters andThe Open.[47]
In 2005, Lineker was sued fordefamation by Australian footballerHarry Kewell over comments Lineker had made writing in his column inThe Sunday Telegraph about Kewell's transfer fromLeeds United toLiverpool. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. It became known during the case that the article had actually beenghost-written by a journalist atThe Sunday Telegraph following a telephone interview with Lineker.[48]
In May 2010, Lineker resigned from his role as columnist forThe Mail on Sunday in protest over the sting operation againstLord Triesman that reportedly jeopardised England's bid to host the2018 World Cup. Triesman resigned as chairman of the bid and the FA on 16 May 2010 after the publication of a secret recording of a conversation between the peer and a former ministerial aide, during which he claimed that Spain and Russia were planning to bribe referees at theWorld Cup in South Africa.[49] Lineker then began working as an anchor for the English language football coverage forAl Jazeera Sport, which is broadcast throughout most of the Middle East. He left the Qatar-based network in 2012.[citation needed]
In 2013, Lineker began working forNBCSN as part of their Premier League coverage and contributing to the US version ofMatch of the Day.[50] On 9 June 2015, Lineker was unveiled as the lead presenter ofBT Sport'sChampions League coverage. On 13 August 2016, Lineker presented the firstMatch of the Day of the2016–17 season wearing only boxer shorts.[51] Believing it would simply not happen, he had promised in a tweet from December 2015[52] that if Leicester City won thePremier League, he would "present Match of the Day in just my undies".
As of July 2022, Lineker is the highest-paid BBC presenter and has been for several years; receiving payments of £1.75–1.76 million each year between 2016 and 2020,[53][54] and approximately £1.35 million in 2020–21.[55] His pay has been criticised byJulian Knight, chair of the parliamentaryDigital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee,[56] and DameEsther Rantzen.[57] The BBC's Director General,Tim Davie, stated that Lineker's pay was justified "because of the value of analysis to the viewing audience".[58]
In March 2023, Lineker was required to step back from presenting on the BBC for three days due to a controversy over his criticism of the British government's immigration policy on Twitter.[59][60][61][62]
On 11 November 2024, Lineker who was hostingMatch of the Day since 1999, announced that he would be stepping down from presenting the programme following the conclusion of the 2024–25 Premier League season in May 2025.[63] He will also leave the BBC after covering the2026 FIFA World Cup which will take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico and the2025–26 FA Cup.[64]
Walkers commercials
Lineker has appeared in television commercials for the Leicester-based snack companyWalkers. Originally signing a £200,000 deal in 1994, his first advert was 1995's "Welcome Home" (Lineker had recently returned to England having played in Japan).[65] Walkers temporarily named their salt and vinegar crisps after Lineker, labelling them 'Salt & Lineker', in the late 1990s.[66] In 2000, Lineker's Walkers commercials were ranked ninth inChannel 4's poll of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads".[67]
Other media appearances
Lineker participated inPrince Edward's charity television specialThe Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987. He also appeared in the 1991 playAn Evening with Gary Lineker byArthur Smith andChris England, which was adapted for television in 1994. He presented a six-part TV series for the BBC in 1998 (directed by Lloyd Stanton) calledGolden Boots,[68] with other football celebrities. It was an extensive history of the World Cup focusing on the 'Golden Boots' (top scorers).[citation needed]
In 2006, Lineker took on an acting role as the voice ofUnderground Ernie on the BBC's children's channel,CBeebies.[69] In December 2008, Lineker appeared on the ITV1 television programmeWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? where he and English rugby union playerAustin Healey won £50,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. In 2009, Lineker and his wife Danielle hosted a series of the BBC'sNorthern Exposure, following on fromLaurence Llewelyn-Bowen from the previous year in visiting and showcasing locations throughout Northern Ireland.[70]
In May 2014, Lineker established his own production company Goalhanger Films Ltd. with former ITV Controller Tony Pastor.[75] During the2014 FIFA World Cup, Lineker presented several short videos produced by Goalhanger Films onYouTube with the titleBlahzil. In May 2015, the company produced a 60-minute-long documentary presented by Lineker titledGary Lineker on the Road to FA Cup Glory for the BBC.[76]
Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in 1986. They have four sons. In May 2006, Cockayne filed for divorce on the grounds of Lineker's alleged "unreasonable behaviour", with documents submitted to the court claiming that his actions in their marriage had caused her "stress and anxiety". The couple subsequently stated that the situation was amicable.[80]
In November 1991, Lineker's eldest son survived a rare form ofleukaemia whilst he was a baby, and was treated atGreat Ormond Street Hospital in London.[8] Lineker now supports children's cancer charityCLIC Sargent and has appeared in promotional clips encouraging people to give blood. Lineker has been actively involved with other cancer charities such as Leukaemia Busters, where between 1994 and 2005 Gary and Michelle were the charity's patrons.[81][82] He has also been involved with the Fight for Life andCancer Research UK charities.[83][84]
Lineker was made afreeman of the City of Leicester in 1995 and he has been referred to as "Leicester's favourite son".[85][86]
In October 2002, Lineker backed a £5 million bid to rescue his former clubLeicester City, which had recently gone intoadministration, describing his involvement as "charity" rather than an "ego trip".[87] He stated that he would invest a six-figure sum and that other members of his consortium would invest a similar amount.[88] Lineker met with fans' groups to persuade them to try and raise money to rescue his former club. The club was eventually saved fromliquidation. He is now honorary Vice President of Leicester City.
Lineker marriedDanielle Bux on 2 September 2009, inRavello, Italy. On 13 January 2016, Lineker and Bux announced they were divorcing, after six years of marriage,[89] the reason given being Gary not wanting more children.[89]
In 1985, Lineker was best man at snooker playerWillie Thorne's wedding[90] and their close friendship was the subject of the VHS production,Best of Friends – The Official Story of Gary Lineker & Willie Thorne.[91]
Lineker speaks fluent Spanish, which he learnt during his time playing for FC Barcelona, and is an advocate for the teaching of foreign languages in schools.[93][94]
In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Lineker announced that he was donating £140,000 to theBritish Red Cross towards research into the virus.[95]
On 28 March 2023 he won an appeal againstHM Revenue and Customs over a bill that totalled £4.9 million. The authority had pursued him over taxes on income from the BBC andBT Sport from 2013–14 to 2017–18 on the grounds he was an employee of both organisations at the time. A judge ruled he was a freelancer and had contracts with both broadcasters.[96]
Political views
Lineker has been noted for political views which he shares onTwitter. In December 2016, he was described by Angus Harrison ofVice News as "theBritish Left's Loudest Voice" for being "both staunchly liberal and resolutely unafraid of making his views known".[97] Using a football analogy, Lineker defined his ideological position as "I make more runs to the left than the right, but never felt comfortable on the wing".[98] After the2017 United Kingdom general election, in whichTheresa May led theConservatives andJeremy Corbyn ledLabour, Lineker wrote "Anyone else feel politically homeless? Everything seemsfar right orway left. Something sensiblycentrist might appeal?"[99][100]
On 18 October 2016, Lineker tweeted a rebuttal to a statement made by MPDavid Davies where Davies suggested refugees entering the UK should undergo dental checks to verify their age: "The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. What's happening to our country?"[103] This ledThe Sun to call for Lineker's sacking fromMatch of the Day, accusing him of breaching BBC impartiality guidelines.[104]
In December 2018, Lineker was criticised by the BBC's cricket correspondentJonathan Agnew for expressing his political views on Twitter. Agnew said, "You are the face of BBC Sport. Please observe BBC editorial guidelines and keep your political views, whatever they are and whatever the subject, to yourself. I'd be sacked if I followed your example."[105] A BBC spokesperson said, "Gary is not involved in any news or political output for the BBC and as such, any expression of his personal political views does not affect the BBC's impartiality."[106]
In October 2022, a complaint about a tweet from Lineker that referred to donations to the Conservative Party was upheld by the BBC, on the grounds that it breached social media use guidelines and failed to meet editorial standards of impartiality.[107][108] During the2022 World Cup, Qatari lawyerHassan Al-Thawadi criticised Lineker for covering human rights violations inQatar by stating that he did not talk about such issues with other host countries. In response, Lineker countered onThe News Agents podcast that he covered issues in other host countries, and characterised theUnited States, one of the countries co-hosting the2026 World Cup, as an "extraordinarily racist country".[109] His statements on the United States were criticised byCulture SecretaryMichelle Donelan in January 2023, who said they were "very derogatory questionable comments".[110]
2023 controversy and suspension fromMatch of the Day
In March 2023, Lineker criticised the British government's asylum policy via Twitter. Commenting on a video message by theHome Secretary,Suella Braverman, about stopping migrants crossing theEnglish Channel in small boats, he said the message was "beyond awful" and called the government's policy "an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".[111][112][113] The comments received condemnation from some Conservative politicians, including Braverman herself,[112][113] and a spokesperson for Labour leaderKeir Starmer said comparisons with 1930s Germany "aren't always the best way" to make an argument.[111][112] Lineker received support from other political figures, includingBaron Dubs,[111]Alastair Campbell,[111] andAngela Rayner.[114] A BBC source said the corporation was taking the matter "seriously" and expected to have a "frank conversation" with Lineker.[111] The BBC's culture and media editorKatie Razzall wrote, "As the UK's most scrutinised media organisation in increasingly polarised times, to say Gary Lineker's recent tweets cause difficulty for the BBC is an understatement."[115] Lineker said he stood by his comments and did not fear suspension from his BBC work.[112][116]
On 10 March, the BBC said Lineker would step back from his job onMatch of the Day because it considered "his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines". It added it had "decided Lineker will not presentMatch of the Day until there's an agreed and clear position on his use of social media".[60][113][117][118] Lineker's BBC Sport colleaguesIan Wright,Alan Shearer,[118][60][119]Steve Wilson,Conor McNamara,Robyn Cowen,Steven Wyeth,[120]Alex Scott,Jason Mohammad,Mark Chapman,Jermaine Jenas,Dion Dublin andJermain Defoe all pulled out of their respective roles in BBC programmes in the next hours in solidarity with him.[114][118][119] As a result, the broadcaster was forced to reduce its sports-related schedules for 11 and 12 March,[113][118] withMatch of the Day going ahead without any hosts or studio presentation, thus featuring only match footage.[113][118][119] It also affected theBBC World Service's English-language programmeSportsworld, which was not aired on that day and was instead replaced with alternative programming.[121] The BBC and Lineker issued coordinated statements on 13 March.[122] Lineker's suspension was ended and the BBC announced it would initiate an independent review of its social media guidelines and how they apply to freelancers outside news.[123] The BBC's director-general,Tim Davie, stated that Lineker had agreed to abide by the corporation's editorial guidelines until the review into them has been completed.[62]
Since the controversy, Lineker has continued to use Twitter to comment on political issues. On 21 November 2023, he tweeted: "Worth 13 minutes of anyone's time." The tweet was accompanied by a link to an interview betweenOwen Jones andRaz Segal, in which Segal stated that Israel's actions in theIsrael–Hamas war were "a textbook case of genocide". Lineker's tweet was interpreted by some to be an endorsement of Segal's views.[124][125][126][127]
In December 2023, Lineker signed an open letter criticising the government's proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.[128] Defence SecretaryGrant Shapps, Conservative Party deputy chairmanLee Anderson, andJonathan Gullis accused him of violating impartiality and lodged a complaint with the BBC.[129]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
