Gary Lineker presents Match of the Day from Leicester's King Power Stadium in 2021.
Gary Lineker on Match of the Day duty(Image credit: Getty Images)

As a player, Gary Lineker enjoyed some of his greatest successes in the World Cup.

His group stage hat-trick against Poland in 1986 was the bedrock for his Golden Boot-winning turn was built on, as his six-goal haul pipped the likes of Diego Maradona and Careca to the individual trophy.

Four years later, Linekers brace of penalties against Cameroon booked Englands place in their first major tournament semi-final since the 1966 World Cup win, with the former Barcelona, Everton and Tottenham forward still Englands record World Cup goalscorer with ten goals to his name, two ahead of Harry Kane.

Lineker on his favourite World Cup to broadcast from

Since his retirement, Lineker has been back at the worlds biggest tournament as a presenter for the BBC, with next summers tournament in North America set to be his final stint as the broadcasters frontman.

Lineker has therefore presented tournaments across the globe, but when FourFourTwo asks him to name his favourite to broadcast from, he gives a somewhat surprising answer.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the most controversial in the tournaments history, with questions raised over the use of migrant works, human rights and accusations of sportswashing, while the countrys climate meant the tournament had to be shifted to the winter.

But from a broadcasters view, Qatar had one major plus point - its size.

Qatar, Lineker replies when asked the question. We were inside the ground every time, because its such a small country. Id rather that than be in the studio.

To actually be inside the stadiums, feeling the atmosphere, makes a big difference.

Qatar also saw one of the greatest finals in the competitions history, as Lionel Messi and Argentina defeated France on penalties following a 3-3 draw.

Lineker, who will end his 26-year stint as Match of the Day presenter finish at the end of the season, will front the BBCs FA Cup and World Cup coverage next year as his final live TV presenting jobs with the broadcaster.

For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.

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Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by TakeSporty.
Publisher: FourFourTwo

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