Gary Lineker has been forced to relive his infamous penalty miss against Brazil from 1992 on the latest episode of “The Rest Is Football” podcast.
The former England striker’s failed Panenka attempt, which would have equalled Bobby Charlton’s England scoring record, left his co-hosts Micah Richards and Alan Shearer in stitches.
The embarrassing moment came up during a segment where the trio discussed which 15 minutes of their playing careers they would choose to relive.
Richards and Shearer couldn’t resist playfully mocking Lineker over the penalty miss at Wembley that denied him a share of the England goalscoring record.
Gary Lineker recalled his failed Panenka penalty in 1992 to leave Alan Shearer and Micah Richards in stitches
Rest is Football/Youtube
Lineker reflected on two memorable matches during the podcast discussion.
“The 15-minute section I think it’s about that between the two penalties that I took. I don’t know why I want to relive that again because it was fairly harrowing,” he said, triggering laughter from his co-hosts.
He specifically mentioned the 1990 World Cup quarter-final against Cameroon, where his two penalties helped England progress to the semi-finals.
“I was going to say they both went in, which made it very, very special because we were losing two-nil with eight minutes to go,” Lineker explained.
“Then early on in extra time, we went ahead, so probably that moment.”
Richards couldn’t resist bringing up the infamous Panenka attempt during the podcast.
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“Can I just ask, now you’ve mentioned it, we’ve talked about this Panenka you tried to do, and if you had scored, you would have been the highest-ever goal scorer for England… What was going through your delusional mind at the time?” Richards asked.
Shearer joined in the teasing, saying: “I was watching him in the stand. I was thinking the same thing, Micah, what the flip are you playing at?”
Lineker admitted: “That’s the thing about a Panenka; if you don’t get it quite right, you look like a complete fool.”
Richards was astonished by Lineker’s decision to attempt such a risky penalty.
“I understand you’re Gary Lineker, you’re the man of football, the great Gary Lineker, but if you could beat a record, surely you just stick it home?” he questioned.
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Gary Lineker had admitted he had planned the Panenka – but it failed miserably
PA
Lineker explained his reasoning: “I thought it was a guarantee that I’d score doing that. I’d seen this goalkeeper dive out of the way all the time.”
“I just hit it a little bit flat, like your duffer chip if you’re playing golf. It went so slow that the keeper actually had time to almost dive and then come back and pick it up.”
He admitted he had planned the Panenka beforehand.
“I practised for the previous two games. There was a lot of grass at Wembley, so there’s my excuse.”
Lineker’s England career was marked by prolific goal-scoring across 80 caps.
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#OnThisDay in 1992
Gary Lineker & that Panenka penalty against Brazil🤦♂️
🎙from John Motson pic.twitter.com/hM5C8sWxmd
— 80s&90sFootball ⚽ (@80s90sfootball) May 17, 2024
He netted 48 goals for his country, just one short of Bobby Charlton’s then-record of 49.
During the 1986 World Cup, Lineker captured the Golden Boot with six goals.
This remains unmatched by any other English player in a single tournament.
His hat-trick against Poland during that competition was described as “a huge sign of things to come.”
Despite the penalty miss against Brazil, Lineker’s international career remains one of England’s most distinguished.
His goalscoring record has since been surpassed by both Wayne Rooney and current England captain Harry Kane.