Gary Lineker Brother: An On-Again, Off-Again History Of Sibling Conflict

For over a decade, the relationship between Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker and his brother, Wayne Lineker, has been strained. 

Rumored to have started years ago, Wayne recently made an unprecedented move at reconciliation by posting on social media two weeks ahead of his birthday. 

In the caption of the post, Wayne expressed a desire for Gary to surprise him on his milestone 60th birthday; however, whether this affectionate gesture will be returned remains to be seen.

Though these brothers have shared moments of resolution in the past, it seems there is still contention between them as they look forward to this new chapter.

Wayne Lineker’s entrepreneurial spirit has taken him far over the years. Starting off as a founder of his own brand of sports bars, Lineker’s Bar, back in 1988, Wayne has gone on to make himself a household name in the international nightlife industry. 

From founding O Beach Ibiza, with its two adjoining venues, to owning various other leading nightlife venues around the world, Wayne is certainly no stranger to ambitious undertakings. 

Despite sharing the same surname and being born just two years apart in age with football legend Gary Lineker (Wayne on April 25, 1962 and Gary on November 30, 1960), these brothers have vastly different but equally successful paths. 

There’s no denying that Wayne’s dedication and hard work has paid off big time – those nights at O Beach Ibiza speak for themselves!

Wayne referenced 2008 as the start of the strained relationship between he and his brother, Gary. In an interview with The Sun five years later, Wayne chalked it up to the relationship that had blossomed between Gary and Danielle Bux – his now ex-wife. 

Wayne viewed things more personally, blaming Danielle for taking away his connection with his brother. Consequently, communication between them lessened and eventually ended, without any hint of a possible reconciliation on the horizon.

Even after their separation, the two brothers still remain estranged – a result of one fateful relationship all those many years ago.

Wayne and Gary Rooney had an incredibly close brotherly bond prior to 2008, which was demonstrated when Wayne served as Gary’s best man for his first marriage. 

However, in an interview with the Guardian in 2012, Wayne admitted that things cooled off after Danielle joined the brothers for a vacation in Ibiza. Wayne described their relationship as “awkward” with he and Danielle not sparking – a far cry from their past closeness. 

With tensions between them rising and cooling off over the years, one thing remains clear – siblings are forever, however long their closeness may last.

Their strained relationship history 

After a period of estranged communication, Gary and Wayne took a significant step toward rebuilding their relationship in 2017. 

Despite their past rift, Wayne took the initiative to honor his brother on the occasion of his 60th birthday in November 2021 with an Instagram tribute expressing hope and desire to not only speak but also spend time in meaningful ways, just as they had done before. 

On the same issue, he detailed with The Sunday Mirror that phone conversations were now a regular occurrence although they may never go back to how it was all those years ago – striking a note of understanding even when resolution may seem impossible. 

Unfortunately, Gary did not take up Wayne’s invitation to the celebration, though we can only hope for further amelioration in the future.

Wayne Lineker’s Instagram post suggests that he and his brother are still estranged, and neither has spoken about the rift publicly. 

The accompanying distressed emoji and hashtag also suggest that not much progress was made even following his birthday – which implies it may be a long-standing issue between them.

With such a prominent platform as Instagram, it appears as if Wayne wanted to communicate the perceived lack of mutual respect between him and his brother to those in their vicinity.

Yet, at the same time this could be seen as an attempt to reach out for a resolution, with no public response yet from Gary Lineker.