Gary Lineker has chosen a former Premier League player who has been out of the spotlight to be part of his new Baller League team.
The host of Match of the Day is in charge of ‘Deportrio’ in the upcoming tournament, along with his BBC colleagues Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
Lineker, 64, joined Richards and Shearer at the Baller League Draft on Monday night.
The new six-a-side league is set to begin later this month, featuring twelve teams in total.
Many former professional players and social media personalities attended the event in London.
Ian Wright and Luis Figo are also team captains, along with TV presenter Maya Jama.
Lineker’s team had the seventh pick in the draft.
They chose former Wolves, Crystal Palace, and West Brom player Bakary Sako.
The 36-year-old played over 100 games for Wolves before moving to Palace in 2015.
He played in the Premier League for three seasons at Crystal Palace, scoring 8 goals in 50 matches.
Sako moved to West Bromwich Albion in 2018 but returned to Palace for another period a year later.
Since then, he has played for clubs in Cyprus, France, and Greece.
The Baller League has been very popular in Germany.
The UK version will have 12 teams, each with 12 players, competing in 15-minute halves.
In the last three minutes of each half, the game changes to a fast-paced three-a-side format, where goalkeepers cannot use their hands.
More than 160 players were available in Monday’s draft, and matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports starting from March 24.
Baller League CEO, Felix Starck, said: “Baller League is a completely new way to experience football.”
“We are changing how the game is played by bringing an exciting and real approach to football, which will appeal to current fans and future generations.”
“Baller League is all about innovative, attacking, and highly exciting football.”
“We are creating a version of the game that is impossible to ignore – thrilling, bold, and full of excitement.”
What are the Baller League rules?
The Baller League is set to be ‘exciting’.
Here are the rules:
Matches are six-a-side and played on a smaller indoor pitch.
Each half lasts 15 minutes.
Surprise rule changes are introduced for the final three minutes of each half, including three vs three play, long-range goals counting double, and goalkeepers not being allowed to use their hands.
These rule changes for the final three minutes will be random.
MLS-style one-on-one penalties will be used.
12 teams are in the league, with the top four advancing to the playoffs.
The league is scheduled to start in March 2025, with the final four playoff games in May to decide the winner.
