The death of John Motson was announced this morning, and amidst the tributes, there was one from Southampton FC, that seemed to sum it up.

They tweeted that Motson was “an iconic voice who brought football to life in the homes of so many.”

He really was. Anyone who loves football will remember the trademark sheepskin coat, will have heard his voice giving colour to some of the greatest football moments of the TV age, from the Ronnie Radford goal that still gets shown to this day on any documentary about cup shocks, the Ricky Villa goal for Spurs – one of the finest in FA Cup final history, the Gazza goal against Scotland in Euro 96 – and countless more.

One website today in tribute ran a story entitled “the 11 moments that Motty was perfect” – and really? Only 11? He was simply a wonderful communicator, in an age when football wasn’t on TV 24/7 he was the voice for a generation, someone who bought the game alive for so many.

After 29 cup finals, 2500 games 10 world cups, 10 European Championships, he left the BBC in 2018, perhaps recognising that it was time to exit, a skill in itself, knowing the right time to quit. His final TV commentary was the game between Crystal Palace and WBA, by which time he was bringing his enthusiasm for the game to a new generation with his work for EA Sports on the FIFA games and his work on CBeebies on Footy Pups.

He simply loved the game, but even more, it loved him. The amount of tributes today proves that and there is no one with a bad word to say about the great man, the one everyone knew simply as “Motty”.

And now, as he leaves us aged just 77, perhaps the only thing we can all say – we who love football – is thanks Motty for being there with us, in some of the greatest games ever played.

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