For Joey Barton, hearing John Motson call his name as a young player on Match Of The Day will always be a special moment as the Bristol Rovers manager paid tribute to the iconic BBC commentator who died, aged 77, on Thursday.
Motson's stellar career spanned decades and Barton, a historian of the game, holds him in the highest regard. As a young player coming through at Manchester City, he admits he was pinching himself when hearing that unique voice say his name.
Motson spent 50 years with the BBC, covering 2,500 games, 10 World Cups and 29 FA Cup finals before a brief stint with TalkSPORT in 2018 after stepping back from Match Of The Day. Barton says the game will be poorer without him and his sheepskin coat.
"It was almost like déjà vu, if that makes sense because you dreamt about it as a kid," Barton said of the feeling when he heard Motson commentate on his games. "The number of times in our garden or in the street and you’re on your own and it’s raining and everyone has gone in, you’re taking someone on and you slam it in the top corner, it’s Motty saying your name and his commentary that is running through your mind.
"When it happens in reality, it’s like it’s happened loads of times but it is a surreal experience. It’s what every kid of my generation dreamt of; it was a special moment when you heard it because you knew the iconic players he championed as well.
"Ten World Cups, 29 FA Cup finals – just think of the talent he has assessed and commentated on and just to be in that same company was a childhood dream. Hearing and watching that on Match Of The Day was a pinch-yourself moment that you had kind of made it because John was commentating on you and one of your games and he would say nice things about you.
"It was just bizarre because he was a larger-than-life character. There are not many commentators that are famous and are recognised. Commentators can walk down the street and nobody would know who they are, but John Motson couldn’t.
"Everybody who knows football, he was as famous as any big player and deservedly so because he was a master of his craft who will be sadly missed."
Motson was in attendance for Rovers' 1-0 win over MK Dons in October and Barton is pleased he had a final chance to catch up with one of the voices of his childhood.
"He’s iconic," Barton added. "Watching cup finals as a kid, Match Of The Day and all the great stories, John’s voice is overlaying it and adding to it as well.
"It’s not only the players and the skill set out there, you do need that commentator’s voice. It can add a completely different dimension when somebody is as good at what they do.
"I’ve met John loads of times and the amount of detail he had, the questions he would ask you preparing for a game that is in two, three, four, five weeks because you’d played with somebody that he is going to commentate on.
"He wanted snippets of information and he would take notes and then when you see him do a big game and you listen to him, you realise that hasn’t happened by chance and he’s a true master of his craft.
"The games of football you watch now, no matter how good the commentators are, the football world will be a lot worse off for not having John’s great voice and poise running through it.
"Whenever you’d do games, you would end up bouncing into him and you would chat.
"I was fortunate enough to meet him multiple times over my career and last time I saw him was at Stadium MK when we played MK Dons away. He came in after the game and we were having a good chat and catching up and it was just really nice to see him. He looked absolutely fine there and at 77 he looked like he had a lot more years left.
"I’m really pleased I got to see him before he passed on and you only have to look at the outpouring of sentiment from the football world from everybody whose life John has touched with his brilliance.
"Thoughts are with his family and his friends; he was a true master of his craft and he will be sadly missed."
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