Mark Chapman used live World Cup coverage to joke, “Gary who? Joke! Joke. Before everybody piles on. Joke, goodness me!” after Gary Lineker’s name appeared in a graphic during England’s semi-final build-up. The exchange came as the panel discussed Jude Bellingham and the broadcast moved toward England’s clash with Argentina.
Micah Richards and the graphic
Micah Richards first drew attention to the graphic, saying, “One thing I don't like on that list, another graphic that's got Gary Lineker on there!” The list showed Bellingham’s six goals in North America and placed him among England’s top scorers of all time, which is why Lineker’s name briefly entered a live conversation about the tournament rather than a separate nostalgia segment.
Richards, who works with Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast, then added, “He's just text me now but he's dropping down the table, thank God for that!” Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart laughed at Chapman’s line as the studio carried on ahead of the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Gary Lineker and MOTD
The joke landed because Lineker was already absent from the ’s World Cup coverage. He had been set to front that coverage during the summer, but he departed Match of the Day in May 2025 after backlash over a controversial social media post, ending a 25-year stint on the programme.
Chapman now shares hosting duties on MOTD with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, so the broadcast moment also pointed to the current shape of the ’s football presenting team. Lineker had not publicly addressed Chapman’s remark in the material available for this report, leaving the on-air tease as the last word in the exchange.
England, Argentina, and the line
For viewers, the practical takeaway was simple: the panel turned a scoring graphic into a live reference to a former host whose name still carries weight inside the programme’s football coverage. The joke used the broadcast’s own list, the panel’s reaction, and Lineker’s recent departure from Match of the Day to make the point without stopping the match build-up.
That leaves the live exchange as a clear snapshot of how the is handling the transition around MOTD: Chapman is now part of the presenting rotation, Richards is still working alongside Lineker in another setting, and the England-Argentina build-up became the stage for a remark that quickly moved from statistic to punchline.
