14 February 2024 , 17:49
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Gary Lineker has revealed that a legendary Peter Shilton performance is the reason he chose to support Leicester City over Manchester United.
The Match of the Day host is one of the Foxes' most famous fans and even helped save the club from administration in 2002 as part of a consortium. After coming through the academy setup at Leicester. he made over 100 appearances before moving to Everton in 1985.
Lineker isn't shy about his footballing allegiances and has opened up on his earliest memory of falling in love with football and why it was Leicester, rather than United who stole his heart.
"I'll never forget it's probably my earliest memory now, not just of football but of anything I think, I was seven years old and went to Filbert Street with my dad and my grandad and saw my first ever live game - Leicester City vs Manchester United with the holy trinity of Law, Charlton and Best," he said on the Rest is Football podcast.
"Leicester lost 2-1 but I was absolutely mesmerised by the performance of the Leicester City goalkeeper who made about six saves and stopped Leicester being battered.
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"I think he's the reason that I stuck with Leicester because I could have easily gone with Man United that day because they won and I was seeing some of the great players in the world. But a certain Peter Shilton in goal won me over that day and I'll never forget it."
Lineker added: "My next memory was probably losing the FA Cup final when I went with my dad and my grandad again all the way down to Wembley to watch Leicester lose to Manchester City 1-0 and Neil Young got the goal and I cried all the way home on the train. I had to wait a long time for Leicester to win the FA Cup."
Lineker has explained why he opted to support Leicester over Man Utd (The Rest Is Football)In 2021, Leicester finally lifted the FA Cup after beating Chelsea at Wembley with Lineker, presenting for the BBC that day, unable to hide his emotions.
"The thing is as you get older, it just stays with you, it gets worse, not better," he said about the intensity of being a fan. "You get more emotional and it seems to matter more. I always thought when I finished playing I won't care so much but it's just mad that fan thing, that tribalism, whatever it is."
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