Editing Gary Lineker (section)

===Everton===
In the 1985 close season, defending league champions [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] signed Lineker for £800,000; he scored 40 goals in 57 games for his new team in the [[1985–86 in English football|1985–86]] season. Lineker's first game for Everton happened to be away to Leicester City; at half time, he walked into the Leicester dressing room by mistake.<ref>{{cite news |title=Match of Their Day: Phil Neville picks his classic games |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52561522 |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |date=10 May 2020 |access-date=12 May 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref> He was again the First Division's leading goalscorer, this time with 30 goals (including three hat-tricks), and helped Everton finish second in the league. While at Everton, they reached the [[FA Cup]] final for the third consecutive year but lost 3–1 to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], despite Lineker giving them an early lead when he outpaced [[Alan Hansen]] to score. Liverpool had also pipped Everton to the title by just two points. "I was only on Merseyside a short time, nine or 10 months in total really, but it was still a happy time personally, while professionally it was one of the most successful periods of my career", he says. "I still have an affinity towards Everton."<ref name="echo">{{cite web |title=Gary Lineker: Everton were the best team I ever played for |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gary-lineker-everton-were-best-3464406 |website=Liverpool Echo |access-date=17 April 2023 |date=11 December 2008}}</ref>

Lineker scored three [[hat-tricks]] for Everton; at home to [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] in a 4–1 league win on 31 August 1985, at home to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] in a 4–0 win on 11 February 1986, and then in the penultimate league game of the season on 3 May 1986, when they kept their title hopes alive with a 6–1 home win over [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]. On his final league appearance, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] whose own title hopes had just disappeared. Lineker and his colleagues were denied title glory as Liverpool also won their final league game of the season at Chelsea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evertonresults.com/198586.htm|title=Everton Results|website=www.evertonresults.com}}</ref> Lineker has said since retiring from football that this Everton team was the best club side he ever played in.<ref name="echo"/>