Gary Linekar Biography

Gary Linekar was one of England's top strikers, with one of the best strike rates and capturing the record for the most goals socred by an England player.

His greatest moment came during the World Cup's of 1986 and 1990.

In the 1986 World Cup finals, England looked to be on the way out in the qualifying stages before Gary LInekar's goal guided England to a 3-0 victory over Poland. England then progressed to the quarter finals, where England lost 2-1 to Argentina. Argentina scored two famous goals. The first was the infamous 'hand of God' goal by Maradona. The next was perhaps the greatest goal ever scored as Maradone dribbled past several England players. Gary Linekar pulled one goal back for England, But, ended up losing 2-1. It was scant consolation that Gary Linekar finished with the golden boot as the highest scorer in the tournament.

In the 1990 finals, England progressed to the semi-finals before losing to Germany on penalties. It was another near miss for England.

As well as a great international career, Gary Linekar had an impressive domestic career with clubs such as Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona.

After retiring from playing football, gary Linekar has stayed in the public eye with a series of memorable 'Walker Crisp adverts' and also chairing BBC's Match of the Day programme. Gary Linekar often providing a smooth foil to the more opinionated panelists such as Mark Lawrensen and Martin O'Neill.