Gary Lineker describes his horrific experience of taking snus that was seven hours of 'absolute torture'

Gary Lineker says he went through seven hours of "absolute torture" after taking snus ahead of the opening game of Euro 2020.

The rise of snus in football is well-documented. England and Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy admitted to using the product to help him "chill out" but later stopped following negative media coverage.

Back in 2020, then-Sunderland manager Lee Johnson compared taking snus to smoking three or four cigarettes at once before suggesting the product remains detrimental to a player's physical and mental health.

"It is so highly addictive that it comes to the forefront of our minds which then becomes dangerous," he told talkSPORT in 2021. "You are messing with the balance of the body and mind, that is the biggest thing for me in terms of development."

Although the sale of snus has been illegal in the United Kingdom since 1992, the product is still legal to consume.

Often placed between the upper lip and gum for extended periods as a form of sublabial administration, the sachet has been tried and tested by many, including former Leicester and Spurs striker Gary Lineker.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker explained that he initially declined the chance to take a sachet of snus but decided to try one after a few drinks.

Things, however, would take a turn for the worst, just hours before the opening game of Euro 2020 between Italy and Turkey.

"I got undressed ready for bed and suddenly started to feel really, really dizzy," Lineker said back in November 2023.

"So I sit on the bed and I'm stark naked, and I've whipped this thing straight out my mouth and thrown it in the bin. I start to sweat, but I'm freezing.

"I'm sweating and I'm sweating and there's a pool on the floor, and I can't move. I'm thinking what the hell have they done to me."

He added: "Eventually I lay on the floor and I crawl to the toilet like a snake, just sliding, that's the only way I could get there. And just before I got to the toilet, I vomit everywhere, it's on the shower screens, it's all over."

After taking a nap, Lineker can remember getting back into bed. "It was 7am in the morning," he grins. "I'd had seven hours of absolute torture."