John Motson, the voice of BBC football commentary, dies aged 77

John Motson, one of football’s most iconic commentators, has died at the age of 77.

Famed for his sheepskin coats and encyclopedic knowledge of football, Motson worked for the BBC for exactly half a century between 1968 and 2018, beginning as a sports presenter on Radio 2 before becoming the most recognisable of all football commentators.

Known throughout the sport simply as ‘Motty’, Motson covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, 29 FA Cup finals and commentated on almost 2,500 televised games.

He began working on Match of the Day in 1971 and, after being the subject of This Is Your Life in 1996, became an OBE in 2001. His death was confirmed on Thursday morning by the BBC after he died peacefully in his sleep.

The announcement was instantly followed by an outpouring of tributes.

Gary Lineker, the former England captain and Match of the Day host since 1999, said that he was “deeply saddened” by the news. “A quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations – he’ll be very much missed. RIP Motty,” said Lineker.

Veteran football commentator Alan Parry told Sky Sports News: “I have known Motty for over 50 years, so this news has hit me like a sledgehammer.

“We were great friends and he was a great inspiration to me. He taught me the importance of preparing properly for every single commentary, as though you were a player, coach or manager, and treating the whole game with respect. What a career he had.

“He was a master of his trade but the most important thing for me was he was a great friend, and I am going to miss him.

Fellow commentator Clive Tyldesley wrote on Twitter: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else.”

Former Liverpool captain and Telegraph columnist Jamie Carragher said that Motson was “an absolute legend of the game” and recalled growing up listening to his words.

David Baddiel, the host of Fantasy Football League on which Motson was a guest, said that the news felt “impossible”, adding that Motson was “a voice that, at one time, was football”.

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Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler said he was the standard-bearer for those that followed. “John was the standard-setter for us all,” Tyler said. “We basically all looked up to him – his diligence, his dedication, his knowledge. He was a very serious broadcaster but he was a real fun guy to be around.”

The son of a Methodist minister, Motson began his career by working as a reporter on the Barnet Press and Sheffield Morning Telegraph before freelancing for BBC Radio Sheffield and then joining the corporation full-time at the age of 23 in 1968.

England were World Cup winners at the time and Motson’s enthusiasm and expertise soon saw him move into football commentary and the flagship Match of the Day programme.

He became the BBC’s lead television commentator from 1979 until 2008, a sequence that included six World Cup finals but also the tragic Hillsborough FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in 1989.

Motson continued on BBC Radio and Match of the Day for another decade after standing down from live commentary before choosing to retire five years ago.

Motson’s final game for Match of the Day was between Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in 2018, where he was invited onto the pitch after full-time and applauded by the fans of both clubs. Former England manager Roy Hodgson presented him with a framed copy of the programme from his first and last matches at Selhurst Park and a crystal microphone.

Motson was also a commentator for the vastly popular FIFA video games series by EA Sports, meaning that his voice remained instantly distinctive to a new generation of football fans.

Motson’s best commentary moments

Hereford vs Newcastle, 1972 FA Cup

He was famously the commentator for the FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle in 1972 when Ronnie Radford’s legendary 30-yard strike inspired a dramatic upset. Motson rose to the moment with his memorable “What a goal! … What a goal!” narration amid a fan invasion onto the mud-packed pitch.

“If Ronnie hadn’t scored that goal and Hereford had not beaten Newcastle, I don’t think I would be here talking to you now,” Motson said as he reflected back on his career before retirement.

“It changed my life, in the sense I was on trial that year at the BBC, I hadn’t got a contract at that stage. I had been in radio, and they kind of borrowed me for a year if you like to see if I made out.”

England vs Scotland, 1996 European Championship

After the disappointment of Italia 90, Motson, who shared England duties with Barry Davies, was in the commentary box again for one of Gascoigne’s finest moments when his goal helped Terry Venables’ side beat Scotland at Euro 96.

With England leading their old rivals 1-0 in the second half at Wembley, Scotland had been awarded a penalty, which David Seaman saved from Gary McAllister. Before the Scots could regroup, England went on the offensive and doubled their advantage through a moment of sheer genius.

Darren Anderton helped the ball on from out on the left wing towards Gascoigne at the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder – playing his club football in Scotland for Rangers at the time – promptly flicked the ball up over Colin Hendry with his left foot, leaving the defender stumbling to the ground, before crashing a right-foot volley past Andy Goram.

“Oh brilliant! Oh yes! Oh yes!” Motty declared as Gascoigne sprinted to lie on the pitch behind the goal, his arms wide in the ‘dentist’s chair’ celebration as team-mates gleefully sprayed water into his open mouth – which needed no additional commentary.

Wimbledon vs Liverpool, 1988 FA Cup

In 1988, Wimbledon upset the odds to defeat newly-crowned league champions Liverpool 1-0 and win the FA Cup.

The Dons’ memorable triumph was secured by a goal from Lawrie Sanchez and an historic penalty save by Dave Beasant, who became the first goalkeeper to do so in the final of the game’s oldest knockout competition.

Motson confessed his pay-off line at the full-time whistle was “definitely spur of the moment” – but it helped sum up the sheer disbelief at the most unexpected of results at Wembley.

What were your favourite John Motson commentary moments? Let us know in the comments section below.