Gary Lineker charts his own fleeting but prolific Everton career and discusses prominent figures at the modern-day Blues on this week’s The Official Everton Podcast.
Exceptional former England striker Lineker had one season at Goodison Park after joining Howard Kendall’s champions from Leicester City in summer 1985.
Listen to the latest edition of The Official Everton Podcast as Lineker explains why leaving hometown club Leicester for Everton represented a "huge step" personally and discloses the target he set himself when arriving at the Club.
He scored 40 times in 57 games – 41 top-flight matches yielding 30 goals – and was presented with an enormous dilemma when Barcelona came knocking at the end of the campaign.
Lineker reveals the unlikely method he used to decide his future and confesses his regret at leaving the Club empty-handed, Everton winning the title either side of the forward’s single Goodison season when manager Kendall’s Blues were runners-up in both major domestic competitions.
Something of a pioneer when he switched to Barcelona after claiming the Golden Boot at the Mexican World Cup in 1986 – and an unmitigated success at the Nou Camp – Lineker is well-positioned to comment on the continental influence of Carlo Ancelotti at Everton today.
He details why Everton pulled off a “great coup” in landing one of the “top-10” managers in the game’s history.
Lineker has encountered Ancelotti on numerous occasions – initially as an opponent on the field – and reckons Everton’s players will thrive under a boss who has masterminded title-wining campaigns in four of Europe's major leagues.
And in current centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lineker reckons Everton have a gem.
Lineker explains why 23-year-old Calvert-Lewin’s form when scoring 10 goals in 13 matches immediately prior to the Premier League’s suspension in March is indicative of a player destined for an elite career.
Indeed, Lineker, who watches oodles of football in his capacity as a presenter on Match of the Day and BT Sport’s Champions League coverage, insists Calvert-Lewin’s England claims “cannot be ignored” if he continues in the same productive and "combative" vein when the season resumes.
Listen to Gary Lineker on the Official Everton Podcast here. And, if you enjoy this edition, don't forget to subscribe.
You can also search 'Everton' on your usual podcast app or listen via SoundCloud here. To learn more ways to listen to the Official Everton Podcast, click here.
Everton - Howard's Way tells the full story of Howard Kendall's glorious trophy-winning team in the 1980s and tales from Merseyside during that era.
All proceeds from the documentary will go to fund The People's Place, Everton's purpose-built mental health facility close to Goodison Park.
Click here for details of how to watch Howard's Way.
