Tributes are pouring in for legendary football commentator John Motson, who has sadly passed away aged 77.
Motson, born in Salford, Lancashire, enjoyed a distinguished career with the BBC, covering 29 FA Cup finals and 10 World Cups.
His distinguished career also took him to two Olympic Games and Wimbledon’s memorable 1988 FA Cup final triumph against Liverpool at Wembley as the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club.
Now tributes are pouring in for Motson and they have been led by Rangers TV's Clive Tyldesley.
He said: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else. Terribly sad.”
Fellow commentator Martin Tyler told BBC Radio 5 Live: “He was a standard setter for us all.
“He was a very serious broadcaster but he was a really fun guy to be around. He had a great sense of humour.
“Just a few days after Dickie Davies left us, broadcasting has taken two very big hits.
“He was an icon and a beacon to us all.”
Gary Lineker, the former England striker and presenter of Match of the Day, tweeted: “Deeply saddened to hear that John Motson has died. A quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations. He’ll be very much missed. RIP Motty.”
BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “John Motson was the voice of a footballing generation – steering us through the twists and turns of FA Cup runs, the highs and lows of World Cups and, of course, Saturday nights on Match of the Day.
“Like all the greats behind the mic, John had the right words, at the right time, for all the big moments.
“He will rightly be remembered as a legendary figure in British sports broadcasting, respected by those in the game, loved by fans and an inspiration to those who followed him in the commentary box.”
After starting as a newspaper reporter in Barnet and at the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, Motson joined the BBC in 1968 as a sports presenter on Radio 2.
Motson’s commentary on Ronnie Radford’s famous long-range strike which helped non-league Hereford knock top-flight Newcastle out of the FA Cup in 1972 saw him take top billing on Match of the Day – pushing him into the spotlight and the affections of the sporting public.
Awarded the OBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting, Motson hung up his microphone for the BBC at the end of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
