Gary Lineker played at the peak of football throughout his career, but one Nottingham Forest legend made an impression on him ahead of some of the game’s most iconic stars.
The Match of the Day host hasn’t always been in the good books of Reds fans this season, spawning from when Lineker predicted Forest to be relegated.
Lineker eventually apologised for his Forest prediction as Nuno Espirito Santo continues to push his side towards Champions League qualification, picking out particular stars along the way.
Alongside Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, Lineker has been impressed by Morgan Gibbs-White this season but looking back on his own playing days, one Forest legend earned a spot amongst the greats.
Gary Lineker names Des Walker in his career dream XI
Lineker has faced up against the best defenders the world has to offer, including iconic Italians Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini who are looked at as the shining examples of centre-backs in football history.
However, only one made his dream XI in an interview with FourFourTwo in 2003, with Des Walker earning a spot alongside Baresi despite Lineker’s admiration for Maldini.
On Walker, Lineker said: “At his prime, he was probably as good a man-to-man marker as there was – that’s how I’d play him, with Baresi sweeping behind. Des wasn’t the best ‘footballer’ in the world, but with his speed, he was always there.”
The star defender under Brian Clough, Walker’s ability is somewhat overlooked as he scored an own goal in the FA Cup final in 1991, but the likes of Lineker hailing the Forest hero should help football fans away from the City Ground remember how imperious he was at the back.
Lineker has discussed Walker a number of times since his retirement, once detailing the extreme lengths he’d go to in an attempt to not be marked by the Reds’ defensive rock.
Des Walker was one of Gary Lineker’s most feared defenders
Speaking on The Rest is Football about the 1991 Cup final, Lineker revealed that he was particularly wary of trying to get away from Walker at Wembley.
He said: “About three weeks to go before the end of the season, we played a game against Forest at White Hart Lane. […] I went out on the pitch and started playing, and Des Walker wasn’t there – he was playing, but he wasn’t marking me – he [Clough] put Steve Chettle on me.
“This is genuinely true, it is the one game in the entirety of my career where I genuinely did not try a leg – I let him get in front of me, I let him win every ball. […] Anyway, three weeks later, FA Cup final at Wembley – the two teams are in the tunnel and Des Walker looks over to me and says, ‘it worked'”.
Evidently, then, Walker earned his place in Lineker’s dream XI due mostly to the fear he struck into the England striker. Stuart Pearce named Walker as his favourite Forest player too, emphasising the impact he had on the game from both an opposition and teammate perspective.
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