Matt Le Tissier’s declare that Gary Lineker is ‘hiding skeletons within the closet that can solely come out when he dies’ leaves followers questioning what they may probably be

When Matt Le Tissier goaded Gary Lineker this week, insisting ‘he is not the angel he likes to portray himself as’, it would have been easy to dismiss this as just another flare-up in a long-running feud between two former England football stars.

Le Tissier made his provocative claim when appearing on a podcast this week, and when asked to qualify this claim, he would only add, enigmatically: ‘We’ll probably [only] find out all these things after Gary passes away…’

But the spat left football fans all asking the same question: what exactly were these ‘skeletons’ that Le Tissier suggested the Match of the Day host supposedly has hidden in his closet that might somehow compromise his reputation?

Because, just as he managed to go through his entire playing career without receiving a yellow or red card, so in his hugely successful media career since Lineker has contrived to become frequently adjacent to scandal or controversy without ever getting his marching orders.

And this includes a quite complicated love life played out in the public eye that might have won other footballers a bad reputation – but which has never tainted the former golden boy of English football.

Throughout his 16-year football career he was in a relationship with childhood sweetheart Michelle Cockayne. They wed in 1986 and were married for 20 years, having four sons, before they finally split.

Shortly before the split, it was reported that Lineker and a brunette exchanged ‘steamy’ texts and that Lineker had complained to her about his marriage, predicting it would be over in six months.

Michelle filed for divorce in May 2006 on the grounds of Gary’s unreasonable behaviour.

Court documents claimed that Lineker’s actions had caused her ‘stress and anxiety’.

Not long after, Lineker was linked with a model who was working to promote a golf tournament – again reportedly sending flirty messages.

Kate Hallam, who was 23 when she met Lineker, said they spent a blissful six months together, including candlelit dinners in top London restaurants and cosy nights in at his then home in Surrey.

It all came to an end after a friend came across the messages which became public via a Sunday newspaper.

He broke off contact ignoring all further attempts to contact him.

In 2006 it also emerged that wealthy Denise Moore, then 47, split with her husband of 23 years after being linked with the footballer.

Mrs Moore was pictured sunbathing topless alongside Lineker during a holiday in Barbados.

Her husband Graham insisted that rumours his wife was having a relationship with the star were false.

Lineker went on to find love with model and actress Danielle Bux, who is 18 years his junior.

They married in Italy in September 2009 but divorced in 2016, reportedly over differing views on expanding their family.

The pair have remained close friends and were photographed having dinner together on the night of the broadcast of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year show which he had previously hosted for 23 years.

Lineker, who is also departing Match of the Day at the end of the season, has opened up about his personal life since his split from Danielle.

In 2021 he told The Times in 2021 that he’s become less interested in intimacy as he gets older saying: ‘I am still single. I am not going down that route! I have been there before and tried to explain myself and I got slaughtered by my friends.’

Despite being happily single and steering clear of dating apps, Lineker didn’t completely rule out the possibility of another romance.

Reflecting on his past relationships he said: ‘I’ve been married most of my adult life.’

He added ‘Two really good marriages, I’m friends with both. Danielle’s kind of my best mate, so I have that female connection with her. I’m not saying whether it’ll change. It might do. But at the minute I’m very comfortable.’

In November last year he was spotted enjoying a night out with visual artist Leila Bartell.

The pair headed to the popular Dorian restaurant in Notting Hill, west London, where Ms Bartell’s art studio is based.

Ms Bartell, who had previously studied law, is thought to be in her mid-40s, now describes herself as a ‘London-based painter and film director’.

It was around that time that Lineker appeared to have resolved one controversy which had threatened to damage his reputation when he settled a long-running £4.9 million tax-bill battle with HMRC.

Lineker and Danielle had been listed before a court in December as part of the dispute dating back to 2013.

Friends told how an appeal by tax officials against an earlier ruling had been withdrawn ‘and the matter settled’.

The tax authority had appealed a court decision in March 2023 that ruled in Lineker’s favour over the enormous tax bill.

The taxman claimed he should have been classed as an employee of the BBC and BT Sport for his presenting duties between 2013 and 2018, rather than as a freelancer.

HMRC cited legislation known as IR35, designed to clamp down on tax avoidance by so-called disguised employees, who charge for their services via limited companies.

Last year a row erupted after Lineker was accused once again of breaching BBC guidelines – by appearing to wear his own range of Next menswear during England’s opening Euros game.

Lineker was dressed in a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket while presenting coverage of England’s match against Serbia at Euro 2024 that was broadcast to nearly 15 million viewers.

It later emerged the £55 jackets were made by poverty-stricken workers in Bangladesh who were paid a pitiful 44p an hour for their efforts.

Le Tissier, 56, is no stranger to controversy himself. He was axed by Sky in 2020 and later blamed his reluctance to wear a Black Lives Matter badge on air because he did not support the group’s anti-capitalist views.

He’s also been accused of spreading conspiracy theories on social media from issues ranging from the Ukraine war to Covid vaccines.

And it’s not the first time he’s targeted Lineker. In 2023 he told GB News: ‘I can tell you Gary Lineker is no saint, not in any way, shape or form.

‘There’s very few of us around that are saints. I’m no saint, we’ve all made mistakes in our lives but we don’t all virtue signal to the extent that Mr Lineker does.

‘I don’t even have to imagine, there are quite a few skeletons in Gary’s closet down the years. He’s obviously got some friends in very high places who have protected him, there’s no two ways about that.’

At the time the feud between the pair had taken a fresh twist after Lineker was taken off air when he compared the then-Conservative government with Nazis in relation to their ‘immeasurably cruel’ asylum policy in a tweet.

It led to a walkout by fellow presenters and commentators in solidarity and Lineker was quickly reinstated before the BBC was forced to clarify its editorial guidelines relating to impartiality.

Le Tissier appears now to indicate he has more information – thanks to another controversial figure of the game.

He told podcast host Rob Moore this week: ‘Ask Joey Barton! Have a look at Joey Barton’s feed where he has a go at Gary Lineker and challenges Gary to come back and have a go at him. And Gary won’t have a go at him because Gary knows he’s not as pure as driven snow.’

While Lineker’s political posturing on social media has given ammunition to his critics, he remained an uncontroversial figure throughout his playing days.

He scored 48 goals during 80 appearances for England and played for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur before ending his career in Japan.

He was football’s ‘Mr Nice Guy’ – an England captain who went on to become one of the country’s greatest ever goalscorers while maintaining a squeaky clean image on and off the pitch.

It’s fair to say Lineker, 64, has courted far more controversy since hanging up his boots with the Match of the Day presenter landing himself in hot water over his ‘virtue signalling’ political views which critics say mocked BBC rules.