Former Match of the Day host Des Lynam says current MOTD presenter Gary Lineker "wasn't awfully good" as a pundit when he started on the show.
Lynam, who hosted the show which is celebrating its 60th anniversary between 1988 and 1999, said that when he started as a pundit Lineker didn't have many opinions and wouldn't criticise players.
He told What to Watch he couldn't imagine the former England star would go on to become the show's host for so long.
"I didn't, because as a pundit he wasn't awfully good. He didn't have many opinions and he didn't like to criticise players. But I left the BBC to go to ITV in 1999, leaving the way open for him and he's become a fantastic presenter. People criticise him, but I know what the job entails and I think he's first class.
Lynam says he still watches the show, which returns on Saturday on BBC One for the opening round of Premier League matches.
"I either watch it live or I record it, but it's absolutely compulsory in my house! I particularly enjoy Gary's opening and closing remarks. Sometimes they don't work, but often it's very, very clever, how he finishes the show and on one or two occasions, I’ve thought, 'I wish I'd said that!'"
Des says he was stunned when he was asked to host the show. "I was shocked because Jimmy Hill was the host and had been doing it for many years. I got a phone call asking if I wanted to stop doing Grandstand and take over on Match of the Day and I said, 'Does Jimmy know about this? He's a friend of mine, I can't suddenly take his job without mentioning it to him beforehand!' But Jimmy was very happy about it, because he thought he was better off being a pundit."
Match of the Day is recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest-running football TV programme in the world, with millions of fans still tuning in each week.
Match of the Day returns to BBC One on Saturday 17 August at 10.20 pm.
