One of Britain's finest football commentators John Motson has died at the age of 77. With a career spanning across 50 years at the BBC, football loses a voice that has been a constant for generations.
Born in Salford, Motson began his media career with the Barnet Press and The Sheffield Morning Telegraph. He then joined the BBC full-time in 1968, after previously working as a freelancer for BBC Radio Sheffield.
Better known as ‘Motty’, he covered more than 2500 games – including 10 world cups; 10 European Championships; and 29 FA Cup Finals for BBC Sport.
His sheepskin coat became iconic in 1990, when he was covering Wycombe Wanderers vs Peterborough United at Adams Park, when heavy snow covered the pitch leading to the game being postponed.
Tributes have been pouring in from across the sporting world, with Clive Tyldesley tweeting, “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else. Terribly sad.”
Motson famously covered the Semi-final fixture between Crystal Palace and Liverpool in 1990 at Villa Park. His commentary on the game is iconic amongst our fanbase – with the game finishing 4-3 to Palace.
The pure emotion and illustration in his commentary set him aside from the rest – a man that had a pure love of the game, with an impeccable eye for detail.
Motty also commentated on his final game with the BBC at Selhurst Park, in a game against West Bromwich Albion in 2018.
He was invited onto the pitch to after the game, to unanimous applause by the fans. Roy Hodgson presented him with a framed copy of his first and last match programme at Selhurst Park, alongside a crystal microphone.
A final quote from Motty to Martin Tyler when they were working alongside each other: “Talk a little but say a lot.”
Football has today lost a true great, with his voice ever-present for generations in the sport we all love.
RIP Motty
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