'Spectacular figures' - Gary Lineker's podcast empire rakes in staggering £1.4m profit as exiting Match of the Day host hailed for 'smart' business decision

Lineker has already announced his departure from Match of the Day at the end of this season but the 64-year-old's career appears to still be thriving after his podcast empire showed a huge increase in profits in the past 12 months.

Accounts filed with Companies House show Goalhanger Podcasts' retained earnings rose from £590,000 ($741,800) in 2023 to £2.03m ($2.55m) last year, while cash in the bank also grew from £560,000 ($704,000) to £2.7m ($3.39m).

Lineker's most popular podcast is 'The Rest is Football' with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, although his company's 13 key shows have amassed a total of more than 400 million audio downloads and 85m views on YouTube across 2024, with 19.6m downloads during Euro 2024 alone.

Goalhanger's other shows include 'The Rest Is Politics' with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart as well as 'The Rest Is History' presented by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. The company's latest accounts also show that the number of employees on its books has increased from seven to 16 over the last financial year, with Lineker believed to hold significant control of the operation.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire said, via The Times: "These figures are spectacular. Gary Lineker's eye for a smart business opportunity is as keen as when he was playing football for England and scoring goals.

"This raft of podcasts run by Goalhanger are now among the most popular in the country and all the parties involved have benefited significantly as a result of that." 

A Goalhanger spokesman said: "We're pleased with the continued growth of Goalhanger and the success of our shows, and we look forward to seeing our network continue to expand."

Lineker will end his 25-year stint as Match of the Day host in May, although he will continue to work for the BBC and present their coverage of the FA Cup next season, as well as at the 2026 World Cup. However, Lineker has already been announced as a presenter for ITV's new show 'The Assembly', which will see celebrities interviewed by a group of people who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled.