Gary Lineker revealed a strange feud with Jose Mourinho after the ex-Manchester United manager scolded Ed Woodward for talking to the television star.
The Match of the Day host revealed that Mourinho refused to accept a GQ magazine award from him back in 2015.
Despite enjoying a positive relationship, with Mourinho even praising Lineker’s Match of the Day coverage via text messages, their rift deepened for reasons unknown to the former England international.
Speaking to The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker opened up:
“I remember when he first came, he was this incredible personality, really engaging and I thought he was witty and he was funny.
“Also, I think the game has beaten him up a little over the years.
“I did a little documentary with him, he used to text me all the time, he used to text me after Match of the Day, saying ‘you guys understand it, this is great.’
“We had been going along like that for two years and then something changed.
“I was asked to present him with the Man of the Year award at the GQ Awards that they do every year.
“They asked me to present the trophy and I said ‘yes, I’ll do that for Jose, of course.’
“Then about four days before the event, they got in touch and said ‘Jose has got in touch and he doesn’t want you to present the trophy to him, he wants someone that’s not in football.’
“I thought ‘hmmm, that’s a bit odd’ but I thought I’ll go along to the event anyway and I went up to Jose and he kind of blanked me.
“I went ‘are we ok, are we ok Jose?’
‘He went “Yeah, yeah, yeah.’
“But he wasn’t ok and he’s never been OK since.”
Awkward Encounter
Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were bemused to hear the incident and asked what led to the bitterness.
Lineker then went on to narrate another awkward encounter at Old Trafford following a Champions League game during Mourinho’s tenure at Manchester United, involving former United chief Ed Woodward.
“I do not know to this day whether it was something I said on Match of the Day, I genuinely have no idea.
“Also, I interviewed him subsequently and he was very cold,” he said.
“I remember doing a Champions League game which they didn’t do very well in.
“However, I went up to the director’s box at Manchester United and I was having a drink with Ed Woodward, he’s a neighbour of mine so I know him really well.
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“I stood there having a drink and Jose comes up but then he just wandered off.
“He sent a text to Ed Woodward, ‘why are you talking to him?’
“To this day, I don’t know what I did! It is a long time ago this happened but I don’t know what happened.”
