Football News - The Gary Lineker Interview
By The Purist
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Courtesy of The BBC |
Given that the actual reason for our meeting – ‘Mondial Month'
looming so close you can taste it - finds itself referred to without dispute
as ‘the big one', then, at least in terms of profile and pedigree,
‘back home' Gary Lineker could currently be called the same
thing.
Yes, he famously just missed Sir Bobby Charlton's record tally of
49 England goals, and sure, he'll never be able to claim Sir Geoff
Hurst's sublime extra-time one-off, either.
His tears, unlike Gazza's, have always remained private and his interrupted
stint as national captain hardly bore comparison with that of Bryan Robson,
never mind those of stalwarts Moore and Wright, even if the unblemished
disciplinary record certainly did.
Still, thanks to a Terry Butcher-strength dose of determination, broadcasting
now comes naturally to Leicester's favourite son, and that's
one considerable factor you can't ignore when it comes to assessing
his status: to middle England, he's simply Mr Football.
As a player Lineker delivered, let's face it. Of 248 career goals,
ten came in 12 World Cup finals appearances.
A relatively late start at international level, exploits in Mexico and
Italy bookmarked by losing a European Cup Final with Barca, serious injury,
an FA Cup win with Spurs and an upsetting last England cap on Swedish
soil, all gave way to the anti-climax of his spell with J-League team
Nagoya Grampus Eight by the time he'd hung up his shooting boots
at 34.
Throw in 25 crisp adverts, his graduation to Match of the Day anchor and
a phenomenal response to his role in a weekly BBC quiz show and it's
a pretty full CV.
His maturity emphasised by those trademark silvery temples, such trivia
as the modern captain's choice of footwear is no more on today's
agenda than are those unpalatable breakfast shifts ahead as he sits down
to reminisce and forecast.
Breakfast? That's right: Lineker will only be making the long-haul
trip east should a domestic presence in the final demand it, so it's
the BBC canteen for him, for once.
Actually covering a World Cup for TV… how does it compare to the
Olympics and European Championships, both tournaments that he's sampled
as a presenter?
"Quite simply, nothing can compare. After all, this is the World
Cup for what is the world sport. There's no excitement like it.
Indeed, a hat-trick in the stifling heat of Monterrey during Mexico '86
not only prompted his first acclaim on a global scale, it kept England
in the tournament.
Nonetheless he predictably nominates as his favourite-ever goal the one
he rifled past Bodo Illgner in Turin to equalise in 1990's titanic
Anglo-German semi-final, having rescued England all over again with two
penalties in the quarters.
"What a match that was," says Lineker, 12 years on. "If
only it could have been enough to save us from the shoot-out."
The pain does not appear to have subsided one bit, as we move on. What
souvenirs did you and the missus bring back from your J-League days, then…
have you room on the walls for a Grampus Eight pennant, for example?
"We loved the furniture, that's for sure! In fact, we were constantly bringing furniture back over for quite a while. Do children count? Harry is a permanent reminder of our time out there… my eldest son was ‘Made in Japan'!"
What are your first, formative memories of the World Cup?
"I was barely old enough to remember when we won it, but the trauma
of losing to the Germans is still vivid from 1970, and I can still remember
watching Brazil's star players from that far back.
"It's never the same when we're not there, but I still
love just reeling off names that made their mark from '74 and '78,
from Cruyff to through to Gemmill!.
"I also remember staying up so late for games like that 6-0 victory
over Peru that meant Argentina progressed at the expense of Brazil, and
the goals Luque and Kempes scored."
Modest enough not to acknowledge his own place among such names, he sums
up: "There's something special about the World Cup all right.
It changed my life."
Ever had any contact with fellow Tottenham old boys Steve Perryman and
Ossie Ardiles?
"Actually, no, you may be surprised to hear - despite the connections.
Put it down to the difference in our ages!"
How rusty is the language for you by now, having left in '94 - are
colleagues who'll be based out there hounding you for lessons?
"I can only just about be polite in Japanese, to be honest with you.
I can recall the essentials and know the basics, like ordering a beer
and so on.
"But I'm sure they'll all be fine without me, as I can
only just survive with my ‘legendary skills' as it is.
"There's just so much of it to learn if you were going to be
a perfectionist about it… it's a mind-boggling language!"
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Where would you send a colleague or supporter when rest days come around?
"You really can't go far wrong, there's so many beauty-spots…
and I obviously know Japan far better than I know Korea.
"I'd recommend Kyoto,
because it's just stunning. A short drive south of Kyoto there's
Nara, too, which I'll always remember. But out of the whole country
I'd say the easiest to find, and it's well worth it, would be
Mount Fuji!"
On the candidates for the class of 2002's Golden Boot winner, he
refuses to be drawn: "I won't go there," are the exact
words of this former winner of a footballer's ultimate accolade,
though a little homework on your reporter's part uncovered his shortlist
elsewhere.
No surprises among Vieiri, Ronaldo, Batistuta, Raul, Henry and Owen then,
but at least Lineker OBE is somewhat freer with his predicted choice of
champions… in a cagey kind of a way!
"Come on," I counter, "you don't let your own guests
get away without insisting they put their heads on the chopping block!"
"I'll tell everyone a different team and then when they're
all published I can point at one and say I was right," he beams.
He may well be joking, but you can't help detecting a wariness that,
these days, acts as a means of keeping that innate enthusiasm in check.
"Argentina are my fancy… they are just so strong offensively,"
he says, citing the disparate talents of Crespo, Batistuta, Zanetti and
Veron with genuine relish. There's no residual spite reserved for
Maradona, either, who is comfortably "the greatest I've ever
played against".
As for the fortunes of St George, he warns that the conditions play too
big a part to be overcome merely by blood, guts and the sum of a both
depleted and relatively inexperienced squad's parts:
"You can never rule us out, though, and the fact is we still inspire
fear in opposing teams. "But we'll have to win the group to
avoid the harshest of draws, and that will take getting off to the best
possible start against the Swedes."
That's the thing with Gary Lineker…whether back home or on location,
he should know.
Gary Lineker Factfile
Date of Birth: 30/November/1960
Place of Birth: Leicester, England
Playing Career: Leicester City (1976-1985); 95 goals, Everton (1985-1986);
30 goals, Barcelona (1986-1989); 43 goals, Tottenham Hotspur (1989-1992);
67 goals, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Japan (1993-1994); 9 goals.
International Honours: England international (1984-92); 80 caps,
48 goals.
[second on the all time list behind Bobby Charlton with 49 goals]