Premier League

'The voice of football' - John Motson tributes pour in after death of much-loved British commentator

Dominic Booth
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Tributes have started to pour in from across the footballing world for the legendary BBC Sport commentator John Motson, who has died aged 77.

A short statement from Motson's family confirmed he had "died peacefully in his sleep" on Thursday.

He covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals in an astonishing 50-year career for the BBC before retiring from the corporation in 2018.

Motson's BBC colleague Gary Lineker and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher have been among those to pay tribute to the broadcasting icon.

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"Deeply saddened to hear that John Motson has died," Lineker tweeted.

"A quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations. He’ll be very much missed. RIP Motty."

Carragher's post read: "RIP John Motson. An absolute Legend of the game. So many of us grew up listening to this man describe the action & goals on MOTD & cup finals. Sad loss."

Another of Britain's most famous commentators, Clive Tyldesley, also expressed his sadness over the loss of Motson, as he wrote on Twitter: "As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else. Terribly sad."

A host of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, have paid their respects to Motson, with further on-pitch tributes likely to follow across the Football League this weekend.

Read some of the moving tributes to Motson below:

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