Wayne Rooney has reportedly signed a big-money deal to grow to be a daily pundit on Match of the Day.
The programme is about to bear a revamp after Gary Lineker departed the BBC’s flagship soccer present after greater than 25 years of sitting within the host’s chair.
Lineker’s presenting duties will now be shared between Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, who will rotate as hosts of Match of the Day and its Sunday counterpart, Match of the Day 2.
Becoming a member of them within the studio will likely be Rooney, who, in keeping with The Solar, has agreed to a blockbuster deal value a reported £800,000 per yr.
That determine makes him one of many BBC’s highest-paid pundits – greater than double the most-recent wage of Alan Shearer, who earned as much as £384,999 for his appearances through the 2023/24 season. Shearer will stay a fixture on the present, alongside Chapman, Logan, Cates, and now Rooney.
Rooney is not any newcomer to punditry.
The previous England captain has made a number of visitor appearances for the BBC and Sky Sports activities lately, however has leaned additional into the position since his sacking as Plymouth Argyle supervisor on New 12 months’s Eve.
Now, he’s making his largest transfer but within the media world – one which may also see him be part of the BBC’s workforce for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the place he’ll characteristic alongside the likes of Shearer, Jurgen Klinsmann, Rio Ferdinand and Joe Hart.
With Match of the Day rankings anticipated to take successful following Lineker’s departure, the BBC will little doubt be hoping Rooney may be the headline act they should regular the ship.
