will step down as host of at the end of the season. The longstanding presenter is believed to have already left the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year (SPOTY) presenting line-up.

Lineker did not explain in his own brief statement why he is leaving Match Of The Day, which he started hosting in 1999.

Following the announcement, Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire revealed she invited the former footballer onto her show, but he turned her offer down, saying, "It's only TV."

The 56-year-old broadcaster detailed their brief conversation in a cheeky tweet on X, formerly Twitter.

Victoria penned: "I rang Gary Linekar last night to ask him to come on NN [Newsnight].

He said, 'I'm not dead, you know. It's only TV'. I followed up with, 'oh come on, you're an institution.'

He replied, 'I'll be in an institution soon.'"

BBC viewers flocked to comment on the post as one wrote: "He's one of the greats. Talented with a heart of gold."

A second remarked: "It's that kind of spontaneous humour we will miss..."

A third shared: "He's right, this is all being blown up way out of proportion. He introduces a football programme for goodness sake."

A fourth added: "He's a class act."

Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, said: "Gary is a world-class presenter, and we're delighted that he'll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.

"After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week.

"He'll be hugely missed on the show but we're so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football."

A BBC Sport spokesperson said: "We can confirm Gary has decided to step down from the team presenting BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

"After 23 years last year's 70th anniversary was his final show."

Lineker has hosted the Premier League highlights show Match Of The Day since 1999, after his predecessor Des Lynam moved to ITV.