Gary Lineker's stunning Soccer Saturday revelation a year on from Match of the Day exit

Gary Lineker has revealed that he watched Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday for the first time this weekend. The former Match of the Day presenter admitted he was left surprised that he'd never tuned into the coverage from the broadcaster as he continues life away from the BBC flagship show. It has been 12 months since the 65-year-old officially left the hotseat after 26 years presenting the football highlights television show. The former England captain was replaced by Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman as the broadcaster made the historic move to split the coverage. Due to over a quarter of a century presenting Match of the Day, Lineker had the luxury of watching all of the top-flight action as it happened at the BBC headquarters and therefore missed the chance to watch the iconic Sky Sports show. He made the surprise admission on his podcast, The Rest is Football , he said: "Do you know what I watched yesterday? This is mad right, Gillette Soccer Saturday, I happened to switch it on for the three o'clock kick-offs. "I was thinking to myself, 'have I ever watched this programme before?' Which sounds mad because it's been going forever. "I was always at the Match of the Day offices watching the football so we never ever watched it, I'd seen Final Score a few times earlier this season, thought I'd watch it which is mad I've never seen that particular programme." JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page Soccer Saturday first aired in 1998 and remained an integral part of supporters' weekend routines due to the popularity of the Sky Sports show. The show has taken on numerous faces and faced the test of time throughout the decades. In recent years, the iconic faces of Jeff Stelling, Chris Kamara, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson have slowly moved away from being centre stage. Stelling left Sky Sports in 2023, and Simon Thomas has taken the post following the high-profile exit. Julian Warren has been a long-standing member of the presenting team, often stepping in during the midweek coverage. Meanwhile, since leaving the BBC, Lineker has seen his Goalhanger production company go from strength to strength as statistics suggest that there are now 250,000 paying members for Goalhanger with more than 75 million downloads of its podcasts each month. Lineker will be back on mainstream television this year as part of a new game show on ITV called The Box. He said: "I can't wait to host The Box. I've always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch, and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar. "The contestants will have to quickly and masterfully work out how each game works, whilst also trying to get ahead of the competition to take control. "It's going to be unpredictable and thrilling to watch, and I'm excited that I get to have a front row seat to all the action!"