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FourFourTwo
Sport
Declan Warrington

Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker talk fights behind the scenes, breadsticks and the 'most nuts' football match they've ever seen

Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker look on following the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between England and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

FourFourTwo have asked Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker for their best moments together as colleagues on the BBC.

The pair are best remembered by football fans of a certain age as the most deadly England strikers of their respective decades: Lineker the 80s and Shearer the 90s, with 78 Three Lions strikes between them. But now, the duo are united on the BBC's Match of the Day, with former Leicester City and Barcelona hero Lineker presenting, while ex-Newcastle and Blackburn forward Shearer the Beeb's premier pundit.

"We’ve been very spoiled, haven’t we? We spent a month in Rio, a month in Cape Town, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, Qatar," Shearer responds when FFT asks for his best trip with the MOTD crew.

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"The trips are wonderful, especially when the tournament starts to break up into the quarter-finals, because then you get gaps and the fun nights out," Lineker adds. "It’s not the same as being a player, although it is in terms of the amount of time you’re away, so you need to try to have some fun."

Surely though, there must have been a fight – at least a disagreement – behind the scenes? When you spend that long with another person, after all…

"No, we’re pals," Lineker confirms. "I wouldn’t have asked him on to the podcast if I don’t get on with him!" They both laugh. In terms of a favourite match, however, they're both in agreement.

Lineker and Shearer don't row  (Image credit: Getty Images)

"It has to be last year’s World Cup final," Shearer says. 

"That was unbelievable," Lineker agrees, "the extra time of that was the most exhilarating, nuts 30 minutes of football I’ve ever seen.

"The World Cups are special. It’s always better when the host nation does well, and England of course. In 2018, that made the tournament – it was fun being in Moscow. It wouldn’t be now, I’d imagine, but it was then and there were some really brilliant games in that tournament. England went so close, though obviously it ended up as it always bloody does, in heartache."

Gary Lineker has been on the BBC for 24 years (Image credit: BBC)

"We had a good night in Russia, in the bar, didn’t we?" Shearer recalls, "After an England victory, believe it or not. That was one of our nights when we were able to…"

"I think someone videoed it and it went viral," says Lineker. "You singing!"

"The breadsticks [as a microphone]!" Shearer confirms. "That was an incredible night."

Lineker and Shearer have talked about the 'porn noise' controversy on the BBC.

Scott McTominay has revealed the United 'rocket up the backside' attitude after Fulham win.

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