Gary Lineker is stepping down as the host of the BBC’s flagship Sports Personality of the Year awards, two days after announcing that he was quitting hosting Match of the Day.

It is an annual show that celebrates the most outstanding sporting achievements of the year, as voted for by the public. Lineker hosted the show for 23 years, so it came to a close last year with the show’s 70th anniversary. The 2023 ceremony featuring sports pundits Lineker and Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, and Alex Scott crowned England goalkeeper Mary Earps Sports Personality of the Year.

Lineker quits the Sports Personality of the Year show just a day after confirming his departure from Match of the Day at the end of the season. However, the 63-year-old will remain with the BBC until the 2026 men’s World Cup, thus ensuring his continuation on the platforms of the broadcaster. He will also present the BBC’s coverage of next season’s FA Cup.

Gary Lineker, Photo by David Woolfall Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Gary Lineker Photo credit: Fred Duval/Shutterstock.com, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In addition to MOTD, he will present the Top Ten podcast. The other Lineker podcast, The Rest is Football, is going exclusively on BBC Sounds. A podcast, presented by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, which looks at revealing insight and personal anecdotes from two men who have never struggled to put the ball in the back of the net.

According to a statement, Lineker said how much he enjoyed his long relationship with BBC Sport and expressed gratitude to all who made continuing involvement possible. As the most recognized and respected figure in British sports broadcasting, Lineker’s departure from these iconic roles means an end to the era.