Gary Lineker honestly admits his 'mistake' as father of four sons

Gary Lineker made a mistake when he told his eldest son, George, that he couldn't support Manchester United. Leicester City fan Lineker, who will leave his role as host of the BBC's Match of the Day at the end of this season, has four sons with his ex-wife Michelle Cockayne.

However, when his eldest, George, came home from school wanting to become a Red Devils fan, Lineker's quick refusal only inspired his firstborn to do so – an approach the 63-year-old years has now admitted to be a mistake.

When asked by a fan of The Rest Is Football podcast what kind of influence one should have on the team their child supports, Lineker replied: “I made a kind of tactical mistake with my eldest son George , which is very contrary, let's say.

“I think I talked about his support for Manchester United – all my other three boys support Leicester, and maybe I learned from my previous mistake. George came home from school one day, he must have been about four or five years ago, he said: “Dad, Dad, I'm going to support Manchester United like my friend John. I went there – and I made a mistake – I said “no, I'm not.” “.

“And immediately he thought, 'Oh, I like this; I like this opposite aspect. That's why I have one Manchester United fan and three Leicester fans.

Speaking alongside peers Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, the question was put to both men, with the former adding: “Well, my son was born half a mile from St James' Park, so he didn't have really the choice. It would always be Newcastle.

“Well, the girls… Newcastle, yes, but I wouldn’t say they love their football; if they have a team then obviously it's Newcastle.

Lineker steps in, turning the conversation to their other co-star, Richards, who began his career with Leeds United as a schoolboy before joining Manchester City aged 14. The only other clubs Richards represented in his professional career were Fiorentina and Aston Villa and Lineker asked him: “Now that's the interesting question: Micah Richards, your young son, how do you influence him in terms of team he supports?

“It’s a disaster,” laughed former City defender Richards. “It's an absolute disaster. He talked about Man United because of [Marcus] Rashford, and I said I would never take you to football again if you support Man United. He's a Yorkshireman. We can't do that. Then he started to love [Erling] Haaland, but he also likes [Bukayo] Saka too. He is currently wearing a half and half scarf. Embarrassing!

“Who would I like him to support?” I would say Man City, only because… Because the club there has been incredible to me, obviously, to my son as well. Manchester City, I’m not going to give you an explanation,” to which Lineker joked: “I can’t wait to see him in an Arsenal shirt!”