On Friday, Gary Lineker shared a sweet birthday message for his son DJ Tobias.
The football pundit, 61, is the father of Tobias, 27, and George, 31, Harry, 28, and Angus, 25, from his first marriage to Michelle Cockayne.
Taking to Instagram, he posted a picture of himself enjoying a trip to the pub with his son to mark the occasion.
The duo were all smiles and looked carefree as they posed together for the picture.
Gary captioned his post celebrating that his son has aged a year: “Happy birthday @tobiaslineker.
Happy birthday! Taking to Instagram, Gary Lineker posted a photo of himself enjoying a trip to the pub with his son Tobias as he celebrated him being one year older
‘A more charming young man you’d be hard pressed to find’: Gary congratulated his son, wishing him a happy birthday
He continued, “A more charming young man you’d be hard pressed to find,” adding a beer emoji.
It comes after Gary shared a rare photo of his four sons having a family Sunday dinner in 2020.
The former footballer took to Instagram to post the photo which saw him posing with children George, Harry, Tobias and Angus.
Gary captioned the snap with: “Boys.” while his eldest son George also shared the same image on his own Instagram, which he captioned: ‘Sundays with the Elites’.
Fans couldn’t get over it, with several joking that they should become a five-a-side football team and others commenting on their similarities.
One person said, “I guess it’s an unreal 5-man team?”
Another user wrote: “Football on 5 (a).”
Another follower commented, “Spitting image of you @garylineker.”
Father: The football pundit, 61 (pictured last month) is the father of Tobias, 27, and George, 31, Harry, 28, and Angus, 25, from his first marriage to Michelle Cockayne
While another account added: ‘Pea in a pod. Lovely picture.’
In April 2019, the former footballer reflected on the heartbreaking moment he was told his eldest son, George, might only have hours to live after being struck down with a rare form of leukemia while he was a baby.
George was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia as a baby after Gary, then in his early 30s, and ex-wife Michelle noticed a lump on their young son’s head.
The youngster was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, and former Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Gary admitted they were given the sad news that his chances of survival were slim.
“I could deal with it while he was sick,” he told the BLANK podcast. “I could deal with it as long as I felt there was hope. There were a few times we were told he might not make it through the night.
“But again, it was a different feeling, it wasn’t a depressing feeling, it was more of a fear, and sometimes I had these horrible dreams of carrying him in a little white coffin.”
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Gary said he refuses to give up hope that his son, the eldest of four children with Michelle, can overcome the disease.
Concern: In April 2019, Gary reflected on the heartbreaking moment he was told his eldest son George might only have hours to live after being struck down with a rare form of leukemia as a baby (pictured with Michelle and George when he was a toddler)
“While he was still alive, while he was being treated, while there was still hope that I was fine,” he explained. “But I always looked, there were other people in there who weren’t as lucky as us, whose children didn’t survive.
“Because we were there about seven months in a row and there are kids who didn’t make it in that time and you’re in that environment when they don’t, and that has always been my fear.
“I don’t know if I would have been able to cope with that. I don’t know how a parent can deal with that.
“But even if it was always the case, there were ups and downs and difficult times, but there was always hope.”
He added: “We didn’t lose it, so I don’t think we were terribly unhappy.” I think we are incredibly lucky because the chances of him not succeeding were very low. ‘
Gary has since supported children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign to raise awareness and funds.
