Alan Shearer breaks silence on his Match of the Day future after Gary Lineker exit

Alan Shearer has confirmed that he won't be leaving despite 'amazing friend' exit. , having sat in the presenter's chair for 26 years.

Lineker's departure from the programme - - came which prompted the 64-year-old to end his contract with 14 months early. Lineker was supposed to front the BBC's coverage of the in the 2025-26 season before ending his stint with the broadcast at the next summer.

Shearer and were the pundits sat next to Lineker for . The trio, who have a podcast together, reviewed the final day of this season's before Lineker was .

But Shearer won't be going anywhere. Confirming that he'll be staying on, the legend told : "He got a really emotional send off on Sunday, and one he deserved, and he's a brilliant broadcaster, and he's a great friend of mine, and we will all miss him.

Shearer added: "It's different for myself and Micah, because it's not as if we're not ever going to see him again. I mean, we've done two recordings of our podcast as well, so we're still going to be sort of working together."

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The BBC put together a seven-minute montage featuring tributes from the likes of , , and . Shearer was among them, saying: "Match of the Day is everything to him. He loves it, it means the to him. Off air he's very calm, very generous. You are an amazing friend."

Signing off on Sunday night, Lineker told viewers: "Let me take the opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier.

"Also, thanks to all those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort. From the editors to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs.

Will Match of the Day be a success without Gary Lineker? Give us your prediction in the .

"Thank you all you're the very best. Everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. It's been utterly joyous.

"I'd like to wish , , and all the best when they sit in the chair The programme is in the best of hands.

"My final thank you goes to all of you. Thank you for watching. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. It's been so special. I'm sorry that your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye."

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