Gary Lineker has explained the controversial reason he will be supporting Real Madrid for the first time ever in tonight’s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund . The Match of the Day presenter spent three years of his goal-laden career playing for Real’s deadly rivals Barcelona, before he returned to England to sign for Barcelona. Ordinarily, Lineker would be throwing his weight behind any opponent the 14-time European Champions would be facing, but not on this occasion.
Given Dortmund’s underdog status, Lineker’s stance is particularly surprising, but the German club’s decision to confirm a controversial sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall on the even of the Wembley showpiece has changed the 63-year-old’s mind. ‘First time I’ll be cheering for Real Madrid in a Champions League final,’ he wrote on X, responding to Dortmund’s statement. Dortmund said the three-year deal with Rheinmetall includes ‘wide-reaching advertising space, marketing rights and event and hospitality arrangements in the stadium and on the club grounds’ starting from this week’s buildup for the Champions League final.
Rheinmetall is building a new plant in northern Germany to produce around 200,000 artillery shells per year as part of European efforts to increase weapons production against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine. ‘Security and defense are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we believe it is the right decision to ta.
