Red card mars long career

THE last two years have seen Gary Lineker run into a host of controversies - so it is easy to forget he used to be mainly known for scoring goals, his big ears and flogging crisps.

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Following his retirement after a distinguished playing career, Lineker joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a football pundit before becoming a team captain on the sports game show They Think It's All Over from 1995 to 2003.

The quiz in many ways helped him to have a more relaxed persona on screen, having initially seemed a little wooden in front of camera.

In 1997 he took over as host of Grandstand and when then-presenter, Irishman Desmond Lynam, was at Aintree for the Grand National which was abandoned due to a bomb alert, Lineker had hours to fill and learn to front live TV on the job.

Speaking last month about it Lineker said: "I was thrust in there, just one camera, no autocue, or anything. It wasn't great, but actually it wasn't that bad either.