Gary Lineker never really thought he was much of a footballer until a fortnight in Spain changed everything. The way he tells his story, it happened both suddenly and in slow motion: 34 years on he sees himself watching the ball drop into the net, wondering what was going on. It was the last day of January 1987 and he had just scored his third against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, the first...
Why Gary Lineker was right to speak out about receiving racist abuse
Most people who look at Match of the Day host Gary Lineker would have no difficulty recognising that the man is white – and so it’s little surprise that he was mocked after revealing in a podcast interview that he suffered “racist abuse” due to his “darkish skin” throughout childhood and at moments in his professional footballing career. While he immediately qualified his comments with the...