Gary Lineker Was Never Booked Because He Only Played 10 Minutes of Professional Football

We’ve heard this statistic time and time again - Gary Lineker never received so much as a yellow card throughout the entirety of his football career. A truly impressive feat - or so it would seem.

After scratching a little beneath the surface, we came across a revelation - one that certainly makes Lineker’s achievement a little less noteworthy. As it turns out, the former England international had only accumulated a total of 10 minutes playing time - both for club and country.

“People assume Gary had an illustrious career. But when you think about it, all you really see is the footage of himself shitting himself during that game against Ireland. In fact that’s the only time I remember playing with him,” commented David Seaman, Lineker’s former teammate.

“Gary never really showed up to training,” added Ian Wright. “He was an intern at the BBC at the time, and to be honest, that’s where he spent most of his time. I guess you could say he benefited in the end.”

Who knows what might have been if Lineker had dedicated himself to football. Perhaps he could have been there alongside the best. Scoring 192 goals in England’s top division or maybe even winning the Golden Boot at a World Cup? Although we doubt it.

Years of warming the bench paid dividends for Lineker as today he spends his time sat analysing players on Match of the Day.