Gary Lineker could have been famous for all the right reasons - he's ruined it all

Oh, Gary, why did you ruin it all? You could have gone down in footballing history not just as one of England's greatest ever strikers, winner of the Golden Boot in the 1986 World Cup, scorer of famous goals against the Argentinians and Germans, but also as an excellent presenter of Match of the Day and other big footballing occasions, and every bit as good as Des Lynam before you.

But that clearly wasn't enough for Gary. Earning millions doing a job he obviously loves and is really good at didn't provide him with that extra bit of relevance and spice he craved. So, he started dabbling in political debate, going against all BBC protocols of impartiality, always from leftist, progressive, woke and anti-Brexit, virtue-signalling points of view.

He got away with it for a few years because he appeared too big and famous to sack. In fact, when the Beeb suspended him after one outrageous abuse, his fellow pundits and commentators came out on strike, forcing the corporation to cravenly fold. Perhaps that just emboldened Lineker. Perhaps he thought he really was too important to follow the rules that all other BBC staff dutifully obey.

So, he continued to make absurd statements, accusing the last government of acting like 1930s Nazis, taking a horribly one-sided view of the Gaza conflict and, most stupidly, declaring the Trans community to be one of the most persecuted on earth. Ask the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, who had to flee their country because of the violence perpetrated against them, just what they think about that. Or ask the families of the 4,500 Christians murdered, purely because of their faith, in Nigeria.

The final straw of course, revealing just how little he knew about the subjects on which he pontificated, was reposting a disgusting ant-semitic image on Instagram so powerfully offensive to Jews that those working for the BBC demanded his instant dismissal. Even Gary knew he'd gone too far. But pleading ignorance, while the truth, was never going to wash, given how many warnings he'd had and lives he'd used up.

So, this weekend's Match of the Day will be his last appearance as a BBC presenter. What a waste. What a shame for a guy who was all set to carry on till the 2026 World Cup and must have dreamed, as I did, of his signing off with an unlikely England triumph. We can't feel too sorry for him, though. The guy is fabulously wealthy, will still I'm sure present on other channels and has his irreverent footie podcast, with mates Shearer and Richards, to keep him amused. Frankly, that's more his style anyway, allowing him to be as opinionated as he likes.

But never again will Lineker lead us through those moments when the nation comes together for the triumph and more often despair of a big World Cup match.

Never again will he present the FA Cup final, which is still regarded around the world as a great annual sporting fixture of international significance. Never again will he front the Beeb' Olympic coverage, a role he performed so admirably.

And the tragedy is that it's all his own fault. He can't say he wasn't warned. Repeatedly. He now leaves under a cloud. He is disgraced. How very sad.