Gary Lineker stayed good to his word and, in a studio filled with reverie and innuendo, presented the first segment of last weekend’s Match of the Day, as he promised he would if Leicester City won the Premier League title in 2015 in his underwear.
But were they pants? Or shorts, possibly? No one was certain. The reaction on Twitter started out confused, then snowballed into browbeating, surprise and fury as some argued that he was not in his underwear at all.
The storm was, in fact moot because Lineker was wearing boxers. A pair of rather crisp pair boxers by Sunspel, the company that first introduced the underwear to the UK after the second world war. Sunspel boxers also appeared in the Levi’s launderette advert in the mid-80s, and were recently seen on Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Lineker’s pair cost £30 and were embroidered with a Leicester City badge by Hand and Lock, a British company that specialises in military regalia.
The pants were British, laden with history, well-fitted and white. His styling was simple and unerring. Lineker kept his promise while providing a great, shareable image.
As for which hat Paddy Ashdown will eat, all bets are still off.
