Breaking: The UK’s Favourite Football Pundit Revealed (As Voted By Fans)

The UK’s favourite football pundit has been revealed with two former Man United stars coming out on top, official survey data has confirmed.

The UK’s Favourite Football Pundits

Gary Neville Voted The UK’s Favourite Football Pundit

Gary Neville, who made his debut for Sky Sports in 2011, has won the hearts of the British public to edge out Roy Keane as the nation’s favourite footy pundit.

A survey*, conducted by BoyleSports in conjunction with market research firm Censuswide, asked sports fans in the UK who they felt was ‘the best pundit in football?’ With 13.42% of the vote, Neville just edged out former Manchester United captain Roy Keane – who had 13.31%.

Alan Shearer followed swiftly behind in 3rd, whilst Ally McCoist came in with just shy of 10% of the vote in 4th place.

Alex Scott is more popular amongst football fans than fellow BBC pundits Danny Murphy and Jermaine Jenas, although the former Arsenal defender finished just behind Graeme Souness.

Men’s Favourite Pundits

Men had a clear favourite when it comes to punditry, with Roy Keane emerging as the preferred authority on football amongst the male participants – scooping 15.86% of the vote to beat Neville.

Thierry Henry and Micah Richards have wowed on CBS alongside Kate Abdo, yet co-pundit Jamie Carragher has seemingly failed to land the popularity vote – collecting just 4.66% of the male vote – the same as Peter Crouch.

Richards and Carragher’s former clubs, Man City (4/7) and Liverpool (5/2) respectively, are the favourites for this season’s Premier League according to the latest football betting odds at BoyleSports.

Women’s Favourite Pundits

Interestingly, Alan Shearer was the favourite football pundit amongst female viewers, just pipping Gary Neville to the top spot with 13.98% of the vote.

Jamie Redknapp came in third with 9.73%, followed by Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher. Jermaine Jenas sat firmly at the bottom of the pile, with just 1.22% of the vote.

Favourite Pundits By Age Group

18-24

Perhaps reflecting the rise in popularity of Monday Night Football over the past decade, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher are the most popular pundits amongst those aged between 18-24.

The duo finished ahead of Thierry Henry and Rio Ferdinand in the voting, with Roy Keane finishing level with Micah Richards.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ally McCoist, Owen Hargreaves and Alan Shearer have clearly failed to win over the young vote – finishing with just 2.2% between them.

25-34

Amongst viewers aged between 25-34, Neville was again the preferred pundit of choice, edging out Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer to the top spot.

35-44

Roy Keane is undoubtedly the most popular pundit with viewers aged 35 and older. When examining the 35-44 age group specifically, he is joint second with Alan Shearer on 14.55% of the votes, clear of Gary Neville and Ally McCoist.

McCoist, who can be heard on TNT Sports, Amazon Prime and ITV, featured on the FIFA game series as a co-commentator between 1998 and 2005 alongside John Motson – perhaps explaining his popularity amongst old participants.

45-54

Roy Keane is again the most popular pundit with those aged between 45-54, securing 17.2% of the votes ahead of Ally McCoist on 14.5% of the votes.

Keane’s former club, Man United, are struggling this season with the Red Devils 11/1 to finish in the Premier League’s Top 4 per the latest football odds at BoyleSports.

Interestingly, Jamie Carragher collected just 1.61% of the votes in a damaging demographic for his popularity as Chelsea Women’s boss Emma Hayes earned more votes for her punditry work than the former Liverpool defender.

55+

Finally, for those aged 55 and over, Alan Shearer is by far and away the favourite pundit with 17.2% of the vote.

A spokesperson for BoyleSports said:

“The insight and tactical analysis provided by Gary Neville ever since that first awkward appearance on Monday Night Football has won the hearts and minds of fans alike.

“The former Manchester United defender is also prone to the occasional outburst at the Glazer family, with that raw emotion likely to be the deciding factor for fans to vote for Neville ahead of Roy Keane, who perhaps does not resonate with younger fans in quite the same way.

“When it comes to a more mature audience, Keane certainly appeals, as do Alan Shearer and Ally McCoist – terrific strikers back in the day – and now both excellent pundits.”

You can see the full results of the UK’s favourite football pundits below.

*Survey constructed by market research firm Censuswide between 10/1/2024 – 12/1/2024. Featuring 1,003 UK residents aged 18+ who regularly watch Premier League football, either in person or on TV.

*Prices subject to fluctuation.