Legendary commentator John Motson has sadly died at the age of 77.
The much-loved broadcaster was a familiar voice over a 50-year career with the BBC after he was hired as a sports presenter for Radio 2 back in 1968. His work in the field earned him an OBE in 2001 for services to sports broadcasting.
A statement from the BBC confirming his death said: "Motson covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals for BBC Sport before retiring from the organisation in 2018.
"Popularly known as 'Motty', he had worked on Match of the Day since 1971 and commentated on almost 2,500 televised games."
His big breakthrough came in 1972 when Hereford United produced a miraculous FA Cup upset against Newcastle in a third round replay which was bumped up to the prime slot on Match of the Day.
He was first put in charge of an FA Cup final in 1977 as a late replacement, and soon became the voice of every major final on the BBC - from Champions League to the World Cup - up until 2008.
Current Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has described Motson as “a quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations”.
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.”
Fellow commentator Clive Tyldesley wrote on Twitter: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else.”
READ NEXT:
Ireland's Lowe blow v France shouldn't have been allowed, admits hot-shot James
RTE viewers left disagreeing over Liam Brady's 'hitlist' after Liverpool lose to Real Madrid
FAI policy on trans women revealed in wake of LGFA green light
Ted Walsh "absolutely shocked" with Any Second Now's Grand National weight
Golf star Rory McIlroy wanted as his Ryder Cup partner for 20 years joins LIV Golf
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
