Well played, Gary. Well played.
We all know Gary Lineker is up for a laugh. He may be a well-respected voice in the global game and the face of BBC’s flagship football programme, but the MOTD man is happy to take the p*ss out of himself, as is apparent in his crisp ads and rather perilous vow to get his kit off if Leicester won the league.
Of course his beloved Foxes did just that, and a vital factor in their title-winning campaign was their top goalscorer Jamie Vardy. Such has been the blistering form of the England forward that he pipped fellow teammates for club and country to the highly respected Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award.
The FWA Awards were handed out at a glittering affair at London’s Landmark Hotel, and Lineker was at hand to say a few words in tribute to his now fellow Leicester legend. But instead of simply showering the 29-year-old with earnest praise, he decided to have a little gentle fun at the player’s, and his own, expense.
First, there was some gentle ribbing about where the pair stand in comparison as Leicester marksmen. Lineker teased the Sheffield native with mock conceit of his own prowess…
Gary Lineker making a speech at @vardy7's FWA Award – "Jamie Vardy, the best striker Leicester ever had..is here to talk about Jamie Vardy."
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) May 12, 2016
Then there was the zinger. As you will be well aware, Lineker is constantly reminded of something he did on the pitch at Italia ’90, when he was forced to take drastic action to relieve himself against the Republic of Ireland. To this day, his every social media utterance to followed by a flurry of references to ‘sh*t’.
The footballer-turned-presenter would be forgiven for being sick to death of this, but to his credit he has made light of the reaction on a number of occasions. On Thursday evening he brilliantly referenced it in relation to Jamie Vardy’s now infamous catchphrase. As you can imagine, it ‘banged’…
More Lineker: "I tried to talk about my accident on the pitch but you know what happens when you chat sh*t to Jame Vardy…"
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) May 12, 2016
