Gary Lineker's colleague sends Match of the Day goodbye message after final show

Not long after said farewell to , commentator Guy Mowbray send his thanks to the departing star and issued his own "goodbye" message – until the summer. After the season came to an end, Lineker, while holding back the tears,

He did so after presenting the flagship show for more than 25 years. But barely 24 hours after the star left the show for good, Mowbray, who has worked for the BBC since 2004, had a message for his own social media fanbase.

However, the experienced commentator, who has also been narrating the BBC's highlights programme this year, will only be away from Match of the Day screens until the start of next season.

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Thanking Lineker on X, he wrote: "Time to say goodbye (until August) Thanks Gary. Thanks to the whole @BBCMOTD team for another incredible end of season montage that worked on every level. Nobody does it better. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy summer."

Mowbray, who is a commentator rather than a pundit who worked alongside Lineker, stood by the now ex-MOTD host two years ago amid the former striker's brief suspension from BBC duties. In March 2023, Mowbray was among those who boycotted the show after Lineker was stood down by the Beeb for one episode, following his criticism of the Conservative party's asylum policy.

When a similar demonstration was going to take place for Match of the Day 2 the following day – after the previous days' boycott of the main show – Mowbray acted as a spokesperson for other colleagues. He wrote: "Update: As yesterday, there will be no ‘normal’ MOTD(2) programme tonight.

"The scheduled commentary team are in full agreement with our BBC Sport colleagues. We hope that a resolution can be found ASAP."

Around 18 months later, Lineker decided to step down from his position after sharing a social media post about Zionism that included a picture of a rat, which he later deleted and apologised for. Lineker was going to continue presenting live coverage for the BBC as well as that of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, before stepping down.

However, he chose to walk away at the end of this campaign, bringing his 26-year career with the BBC to an earlier than anticipated end. In his final Match of the Day monologue, Lineker said: "Let me take this opportunity to thank all of the other pundits that I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years, you've made my job so much easier.

"Also, a huge thank you to those you don't see at home: the work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort. From the editors, to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs, thank you all, you're the very best.

"Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. It's been utterly joyous. I'd like to wish Gabby, Mark and Kelly for when they sit in this chair - the programme is in the best of hands.

"And my final thank you goes to all of you. Thank you for watching. Thank you for all of your love and support over the years. It's been so special - and I'm sorry that your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye. Goodbye."

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