“Never Let It Be Said That Elton John Doesn’t Pay His Debts”: The Rocket Man Settles Football Bet with Handwritten Note & Cash

Popular British football sportscaster Gary Lineker has revealed that Elton John recently paid up on an overdue debt after the pop star lost a bet the two made when their respective favorite teams faced off against each other in November.

Videos by American Songwriter

Lineker recently posted a note on his X account that reads, “Never let it be said that Elton John doesn’t pay his debts. Leicester 2 Watford 0.”

[RELATED: Details Emerge on New Elton John Collaborative Album: “One of the Best Things They’ve Ever Done”]

The post also features a photo of a 10-pound note (worth about $12.70) and a letter that John sent Lineker dated December 27, 2023, that reads, “Dear Gary, sorry this is late! With Christmas we were left a little short! Have a great new year. It was so great to see you! Thank you. Love Elton.”

Leicester City, Lineker’s favorite team, played Elton’s beloved Watford Football Club on November 25 and won the match 2-0.

About Gary Lineker

Lineker, who was born in Leicester, has served as host of the BBC football program Match of the Day since the late 1990s. Before that, he was a soccer star who played for Leicester City from 1978 to 1985, and also for several other teams.

John’s History with Watford F.C.

John is a lifelong fan of Watford, and he owned the team from to 1976 to 1990, and from 1997 to 2002. After retiring from the chairman position, he was made the club’s Honorary Life-President.

Last month, pop singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran posted a humorous video on his social media sites about a soccer match that he and John attended together. The December 12 match featured Watford playing Sheeran’s favorite team, Ipswitch Town, with the latter club winning 2-1. The clip also showed the longtime friends exchanging Christmas gifts, which happened to be sweaters of each other’s respective favorite teams.

Meanwhile, John co-wrote a book called Watford Forever about his experience owning the team that was published in November. According to a recent Instagram post from Elton’s husband, David Furnish, U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times named Watford Forever the Sports Book of the Year.

Photo by Belinda Jiao/Getty Images

Leave a Reply

Behind the Meaning of “I Try to Think About Elvis” by Patty Loveless