"I would never say names" - Gary Lineker says he was racially abused during playing days because he was 'dark-skinned'

Gary Lineker is a former Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur striker

Former England striker Gary Lineker opened up about his experience with racism, claiming he was abused during his playing career due to his "darkish skin."

The 61-year-old, who currently works as a sports television presenter for BBC, plied his trade as an agile striker for more than 15 years.

A winner of the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot in 1986, he played for a host of clubs like Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Barcelona at club level. For England, Gary Lineker scored 48 goals in 80 international appearances.

Welcome the legendary @GaryLineker to HP.

We’ve been colleagues, rivals, shared big moments, had few run-ins. However, I didn’t really know Gary, until now.

Was emotional, funny & hugely revealing about a man who has been part of our lives for decades.

pod.fo/e/12b34c https://t.co/FN3i2EjjGc

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, the FA Cup winner said that he was racially abused a “couple of times” as a professional footballer.

"Without being good at sport, life would have been very different for me because I think I would have been bullied at school. I was kind of marginally that way anyway because I was this tiny geeky kid, with darkish skin, and I had pretty much racist abuse although I’m not. I’m as English as they come. All the time, all the time."

He continued:

"Even in professional football, I had that a couple of times, I wouldn’t ever name any names. So I got that kind of nonsense, which was a bit weird. Whether that was part of something that made me, I don’t know, but other people might not be able to handle that."

Gary Lineker supports Spurs' latest signing

After Tottenham Hotspur sealed the transfer of defensive midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton Hove & Albion, the former Spurs player took to social media to share his opinion. On Twitter, he praised the move by claiming it to be "an excellent signing."

This would be an excellent signing. ⬇️ twitter.com/FabrizioRomano…

Last week, the Premier League club confirmed the signing of the 25-year-old, who penned a four-year deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in a deal worth £25 million plus add-ons. Bissouma became the club's third summer signing, following the arrival of goalkeeper Fraser Forster and winger Ivan Perisic on free transfers.

Tottenham Hotspur will begin their 2022-23 Premier League season at home against Southampton on August 6.