After promising to present Match of the Day in his underwear if Leicester City won the Premier League, Gary Lineker makes good on his word
No one could accuse Gary Lineker of not keeping his word. The former England striker kicked off the new series of Match of the Day wearing nothing but his pants after promising to do so back in December.
At the end of last year, Gary Tweeted that he would present the BBC1 football review show in his underwear if his football team, Leicester City, won the Premier League title last season. And, much to Gary's surprise, that's exactly what his beloved team went on to do.
Wearing nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts and holding a Leicester City badge, the 55-year-old managed to keep a straight face during his introductory piece to camera.
"It is a one-off and a sporting miracle that has landed me in my underwear," explained Gary.
"When I tweeted that silly bet back in December, I categorically knew there was zero chance of Leicester winning the league. Zero chance. It happened but it was magical, it was great."
The sight of Gary in his pants was all too much for his colleagues, however. One-time England captain Alan Shearer and former Arsenal footballer Ian Wright could be seen giggling in the background.
Alan later posted a picture on his Instagram account with the caption "We're not laughing at you, we're laughing with you."
Gary's naked presenting didn't last long, however. As the show moved onto the second match, he said: "Enough of this nonsense - I'm going to get dressed!"
While most people congratulated him for making good on his word, some fans took to Twitter to air their disappointment in his choice of underwear.
Some, including BBC sport's Dan Walker and TV critic Ian Hyland, accused him of chickening out and presenting in shorts instead.
The hashtag #garyspants began trending and Gary hit back, saying "Boxers are undies. That was embarrassing enough thanks".
Match of the Day, BBC1.
