Gary Lineker once snubbed a Premier League icon who asked for his shirt
The individual was a ballboy for the Catalan giants while Lineker played for them
LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off Why it makes more sense for Manchester United to sell Marcus Rashford
By ZAC CAMPBELL
Published: 07:19 EDT, 2 April 2025 | Updated: 07:22 EDT, 2 April 2025
Gary Lineker has shared how he once snubbed a Premier League icon who asked for his shirt when the former striker played for Barcelona.
The icon in question was a ballboy for the Catalan giants while Lineker played for the club, as he spent three years there from 1986 to 1989 after moving from Everton.
Speaking on Match Of The Day Top 10 alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker told the show of the first time he interviewed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Before the interview began, Guardiola asked the former England talisman why he refused to give him his shirt despite the Spaniard asking for it on numerous occasions.
Lineker, 64, said: 'When he joined Manchester City, I went to do an interview with the BBC.
'And he went, ''Before we start, I was a ballboy at Barcelona when you played, when you were there.''
Gary Lineker has shared how he once snubbed a Premier League icon who asked for his shirt when the former striker played for Barcelona
The icon in question was a ballboy for the Catalan giants while Lineker played for the club, as he spent three years there from 1986 to 1989 after moving from Everton
Guardiola was a graduate of the club's famed La Masia academy and went on to make 382 appearances for his boyhood club
'And he said, ''At the end of every game I'd come to you and I said can I have your shirt? You never gave it to me.''
Lineker added: 'I did explain to him, I said, ''Pep it wasn't like it is now. In those days we only had one shirt. We weren't allowed to give it away.'''
Asked by Richards if he could have bought a shirt to be able to give one to Guardiola, Lineker joked: 'I didn't earn what you lot earned.'
Guardiola was a graduate of the club's famed La Masia academy and went on to make 382 appearances for his boyhood club.
He played for Barcelona's reserve teams after Lineker left the club before going on to make his debut in 1990 under Johan Cruyff and becoming a regular starter.
After retiring, Guardiola cemented his name in management by coaching one of the finest teams in the modern era to two treble-winning seasons.
He then left the club in 2012 before joining Bayern Munich in 2013, where he turned them into the Bundesliga's most dominant side.
He then joined City in 2016 and has affirmed himself as one of the greatest managers in the English game by becoming the first coach to win four Premier League titles in a row.