Gary Lineker has declared he has no regrets about his early departure from the BBC ahead of the World Cup, and is eagerly anticipating being on location in the United States rather than stuck in "a green box in Salford".

The 65-year-old was the iconic face of Match of the Day for an entire generation before announcing his intention to step down in November 2024. He had been set to remain with the corporation to front their coverage of the FA Cup and this summer's World Cup, before departing sooner than originally planned, at the end of the 2024/25 season, in the wake of an antisemitism row after he reshared a social media post.

Lineker has since carved out considerable success in the podcasting world, with his hugely popular show The Rest Is Football being snapped up for £14million by Netflix.

The programme, which features Lineker's former Match of the Day colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will broadcast daily on the streaming platform this summer, providing comprehensive World Cup coverage. Lineker is particularly enthused about being stationed at New York's Times Square rather than back in Salford with his former employers, who are cutting costs by remaining in the UK.

"I was originally going to do it for the BBC, this summer, but that didn't transpire and I would have been in Salford in a green box and now I'm going to be in New York City overlooking Times Square with lots of great guests," said Lineker at the launch of Netflix's Sports Club.

Lineker, Shearer and Richards previously fronted coverage of Euro 2024 in Berlin, but this summer's World Cup broadcast, spanning matches across the US, Canada and Mexico, is set to attract a far greater viewership thanks to Netflix's vast global reach.

The former England frontman found himself in troubled waters during the Euros after declaring that England "played s***" following a tepid 1-1 stalemate with Denmark. Yet Lineker insists he has no intention of holding back, pledging to remain candid and outspoken in his assessment of Thomas Tuchel's squad.

"With us - Alan, Micah and myself - we are also fans and we will all be cheering England but sometimes when you care that much you are probably more critical of your own team than anybody else," he added, as reported by The Times.

"There was a bit of furore during the Euros when I said 'England played shit'. And they did. If I said England had played really poorly it wouldn't have made headlines. I only said it because I cared because it was excruciating and England got lucky with their goal.

"You have to tell it as it is and we continue to do that and hopefully I won't have to say anything like that.

"Sport is real-life drama. It is different to anything else. It is genuinely real drama and particularly World Cups. The emotions of the World Cup, you cheer your team on and it is patriotism in a good way, and it matters so much to people."