John Motson

Overview

John "Motty" Motson was born in Lancashire, England on July 10, 1945. He is a well known and much loved soccer commentator, famed for his knowledge of the game and the thoroughly researched stats that he injects into his commentary. He went to Culford School which is located in Suffolk. In the school, they played a variety of sports from Rugby to Hockey, however they did not play soccer, much to his dismay.

Career

He started his career working for Barnet Press newspaper as well as the Sheffield Morning Telegraph. During his time on those publications, he covered soccer. He was an instant hit, and a few years later, the BBC hired him to be a commentator on Radio 2. Three years later, he went on to host Match of the Day. Motson quickly became the BBCs top soccer commentator, and eventually commentated on every major soccer tournament - from the FIFA World Cup to the Euro, FA Cups and more.

In 2008, John Motson announced his retirement from commentating. He said that Euro 2008 would be his final full match broadcast. He stated that he will continue to provide commentary for match highlights on Match of the Day, but he is doubtful of returning to commentating on full live matches.