Editing Gary Lineker (section)

===Tottenham Hotspur===
[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] manager [[Alex Ferguson]] attempted to sign Lineker to partner his ex-Barcelona teammate [[Mark Hughes]] in attack,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/gary-lineker-i-almost-joined-manchester-united-then-spurs-pulled-it|title=Gary Lineker: I almost joined Manchester United – but then Spurs pulled it off|publisher=[[FourFourTwo]]|access-date=30 November 2020|date=20 November 2015}}</ref> but Lineker instead signed for [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] in July 1989 for £1.1&nbsp;million. Over three seasons, he scored 67 goals in 105 league games and won the FA Cup while playing for the club. He finished as top scorer in the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] in the [[1989–90 in English football|1989–90]] season, scoring 24 goals as Spurs finished third.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Lineker finally collected an English trophy when he won the [[1991 FA Cup final]] with Spurs, who beat [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] 2–1. This was despite Lineker having a goal controversially disallowed for offside and also having a penalty saved by goalkeeper [[Mark Crossley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/E-ON-Great-Saves-1991-FA-Cup-final-special-Totttenham-2-1-Nottingham-Forest-unseen-pictures-of-Mark-Crossley-Gary-Lineker-Brian-Clough-and-co-plus-original-Daily-Mirror-match-reports-and-features-from-our-archive-article321299.html|title=E.ON Great Saves No.6: Mark Crossley|publisher=Mirror Football|access-date=1 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307134941/http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/E-ON-Great-Saves-1991-FA-Cup-final-special-Totttenham-2-1-Nottingham-Forest-unseen-pictures-of-Mark-Crossley-Gary-Lineker-Brian-Clough-and-co-plus-original-Daily-Mirror-match-reports-and-features-from-our-archive-article321299.html|archive-date=7 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lineker had contributed to Tottenham's run to the final. In the semi-final he scored twice in a 3–1 win over [[North London derby|North London rivals]] [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/821636-tottenham-v-arsenal-top-five-north-london-derbies |title=Tottenham v Arsenal: Top five North London derbies |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|date=14 April 2010 |access-date=29 May 2011}}</ref>

Lineker was the top division's second-highest goalscorer in [[1991–92 in English football|1991–92]] with 28 goals from 35 games, behind [[Ian Wright]], who scored 29 times in 42 games. Despite Lineker's personal performance, Tottenham finished this final pre-[[Premier League]] season in 15th place. His last goal in English football came on the last day of the season in a 3–1 defeat to Manchester United at [[Old Trafford]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}