John Motson, the legendary football commentator, has died at the age of 77. Motson worked for 50 years for the BBC and commentated on more than 2,500 games on television and radio, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in English football.
Motson, known for his trademark sheepskin coat and affectionately nicknamed “Motty”, covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals for the BBC before retiring from the broadcaster in 2018.
His final game for Match of the Day was that year, when he was behind the microphone for Crystal Palace’s 2-0 home win against West Brom before being invited on to the pitch and given a standing ovation by supporters. He later came out of retirement for a stint at TalkSport.
Legendary commentator John Motson passes away
In 2001, Motson received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to sports broadcasting.
“Deeply saddened to hear that John Motson has died,” former England striker and now Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said on Twitter.
“A quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations. He’ll be very much missed.”
He will always be fondly remembered as one of the greatest football commentators ever.
