Lightning quick, with amazing skills of anticipation and the innate ability to be in the right place at the right time, Lineker was English football’s hero in the late eighties and early nineties.
After making the grade at Leicester City, Lineker was eventually transferred to Everton in 1985 to replace terrace hero Andy Gray. Lineker became an instant hit, scoring an amazing 40 goals to top the scoring charts and earn himself a place in Bobby Robson’s England World Cup squad.
In Mexico he made the transition from international footballer to world-class finisher as, after two insipid England performances, Lineker grabbed a superbly-taken hat-trick to sink Poland and secure England’s passage to the knockout stage of the tournament. A brace against Paraguay set up a quarter final with Argentina. Lineker scored again, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Argentina and Maradona.
In 1990, Lineker elevated himself to an even higher plain. He scored against the Republic of Ireland to earn England a draw in the opening phase, before winning and scoring two crucial penalties in a classic quarter final match with Cameroon. He then caused possibly the single biggest cheer in England’s history when he slammed in an unstoppable equaliser to peg back Germany in the semi finals. Sadly, despite being spot-on from the spot in the shootout, Pearce and Waddle missed and England went home after outplaying the soon-to-be World Champions for most of the 120 minutes.
Lineker’s career ended on a sad note, substituted by Graham Taylor as England were dumped out of Euro 92 by Sweden. By then Lineker was a fading force, but still England’s best goal-poacher.
Whenever you needed a goal, you knew if Gary Lineker was given half a chance, he’d score. If 48 goals in 80 England appearances doesn’t say it all, then 10 goals from 12 World Cup appearances certainly should. When it came to delivering the goods on the biggest stage of all, no English striker has a better record than Gary Lineker.