Josh Layton
Published December 2, 2025 7:47pm
Updated December 2, 2025 7:47pm
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Two British friends who took the original Gary Lineker video in a Mexican resort town have spoken about how the video went viral (Picture: @theraybandits)
The viral clip of Gary Lineker used by Tommy Robinson in an attempt to traduce the pundit was an ‘innocent’ encounter originally filmed by two British backpackers in Mexico.
Alfie and Bradley had just left a bar in Mexico when they spotted the former Match of the Day host walking with his son Harry and daughter-in-law Bella in the street.
The friends, both aged 23, had a good-natured exchange with the former England ace before posting the video on their @theraybandits Instagram and TikTok channels.
However the far-right activist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, used the clip on X to imply that Lineker, 65, had been in an inappropriate relationship with the young woman.
In the post, which has drawn 13.5 million views to date, he wrote: ‘What are you up to here @GaryLineker?’ along with a pair of peering eyes.
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Lineker responded: ‘If you must know, I was going to a chemist with my daughter-in-law, to get some medicine for her unwell husband….my son.
‘Hatred is a dreadful weakness.’
Gary Lineker exchanged greetings with two British travellers as he walked with his daughter-in-law Bella in a Mexican resort town (Picture: @theraybandits)
Alfie explained that the encounter took place around two-and-a-half weeks ago when the TikTokers were having some food in a bar.
‘I was pretty sure that we’d seen his son, Harry, who I recognised, and his daughter-in-law go by,’ he said.
‘We then paid our bill and started walking in the direction that they had gone and then we passed them walking back the other way.
‘We’re not obsessed with football, we’re from the Cotswolds and more into rugby and cricket, so we weren’t nervous to talk to him, even though he’s a household name in England.
‘We had a nice little innocent interaction, and then it’s turned into something a lot bigger.’
Alfie (right) and Bradley were enjoying their adventures in Central America when they had a chance encounter with Gary Lineker (Picture: @theraybandits)
The pair have been making content about their travels in Central America, including a video filmed through Ray-Ban Meta glasses showing them meeting F1 stars Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly at a rooftop bar in Mexico City. The drivers were in town last month for the Grand Prix.
But the meeting with the broadcaster — where Bradley is shown looking chuffed as they walk away along the road — came by chance in Puerto Escondido, a port town on the Pacific coast.
They said, ‘hi what’s up Gary?’, to which he replied, ‘hey boys.’
They then said, ‘enjoy your holiday’ and asked him how he was, to which he replied, ‘not bad’ and gave a thumbs up.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRoSRY7jae-/
But the version shared by Robinson did not show Harry or reflect their impressions of Lineker as a nice guy.
Talking to the Metro from Guatemala, Bradley said: ‘In the video we put up the son was at the front, but when the clip went viral he was not there because it had been shortened.
‘At first we didn’t know who the young woman was either, but after searching around online we found out she’s the son’s wife.
‘Obviously the clip has been used out of context, which is a shame, because we like Gary Lineker, even if his political views are controversial.
‘It was a nice interaction which has ended up being taken without our permission and used to slander him, which is disappointing.’
The friends have released another video in which they explain the facts of the encounter, but the views are far outweighed by those Robinson’s slanted re-share attracted.
Alfie and Bradley said they have been left disappointed that their content was shortened and taken without their permission (Picture: @theraybandits)
‘The fact is when something is out on the internet, it’s out,’ Alfie said.
‘With TikTok some things go viral and others don’t.
‘The reach on Robinson’s video had 15 million views and ours had 1 million, so very few people are going to see that by comparison.
‘We’ve just done all we can to show that this was a wholesome interaction and no slur on Lineker at all.’
The former Spurs ace later retweeted a post suggesting that Robinson had thrown his followers under the bus by inciting them to recirculate libellous claims.
His other son, George, went one step further, calling Robinson a ‘f***ing idiot’ for sharing the clip.
Alfie and Bradley are continuing their adventures in Central America after their encounter with Gary Lineker (Picture: @theraybandits)
Robinson, who has sharply opposing views to Lineker on immigration, has not backtracked, with the post remaining on his X account today.
Lineker said on Instagram that he had enjoyed a ‘fabulous week in Mexico’ and had been left with ‘ecuerdos inolvidables’, or unforgettable memories.
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His trip included visiting the central city of Pachuca, where he attended a ceremony to be inducted into the International Football Hall of Fame.
The commentator wrote on Instagram that it was his first time in the Central American country since it hosted the 1986 World Cup.
His stock is still high despite several controversies involving social media, with the pundit reportedly set to join streaming giant Netflix in a lucrative deal in time for next year’s World Cup.
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