Legendary BBC and FIFA commentator John Motson dies

Legendary British soccer commentator John Motson, who spent the vast majority of his career working for the BBC, has died at the age of 77, as revealed by a statement released by his family.

How did commentator John Motson die?

“It is with great sadness we announce that John Motson OBE died peacefully in his sleep today (Thursday),” it read.

Motson began his career with the BBC as a freelancer working for BBC Radio Sheffield before joining the corporation full-time in 1968. After starting off as a reporter working for BBC Radio 2, he worked his way up to becoming one of the BBC’s ‘big two’ commentators alongside Barry Davies.

BBC Match of the Day mainstay

Motson’s first appearance on the renowned Match of the Day highlights programme came in 1971 and between 1979 and 2008 he covered a vast number of major finals in the World Cup, the European Championships and the FA Cup.

The European Championship final in 2008 was his last live television broadcast although he continued to cover games for Match of the Day until 2018. His final television commentary was a match between Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion and was broadcast on the Match of the Day highlights show in May 2018.

John Motson: a voice of FIFA video games

According to the BBC, he commentated on over 2,500 live games, 10 World Cups (including a record six finals), 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals. Motson’s voice could also be heard on a number of FIFA video games between 1996 and 2008.