'England can win it," says Gary Lineker of this year's World Cup. "We need luck, we need breaks, we need all our players to find their form but we've got a lot of exciting young players. I think we'll be competitive and I think we'll be competitive in every tournament we play now. In fact, I think we're going to have fun with England for the next 10, 12 years."
Lineker remains the ultimate football enthusiast. To talk with the 61-year-old about an event he describes as "the biggest thing going" is to rekindle an unfamiliar feeling, that of excitement for a tournament that has given off more bad vibes than it is possible to count. He uses language stronger than the Guardian will publish to describe the process that ended with Qatar becoming host, says "we are stuck with it" and promises the BBC's opening night of coverage will be akin to "a mini-Panorama". But he is supportive of Gareth Southgate, excited for Lionel Messi and ready to back Brazil.
Lineker is indelibly associated with some of the tournament's most abiding moments. His hattrick in Monterrey against Poland and the odds, the hand of God and the greatest goal of all time (he scored the consolation), the Golden Boot and a reprisal of that form four years later to take England to the edge of a World Cup final; it adds up. Lineker has done as much for the World Cup as it has done for him which, he acknowledges, is a lot.
This story is from the November 15, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 15, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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