John Motson, BBC’s Voice of Soccer for Five Decades, Dies at 77

John Motson, the soccer commentator whose animated voice was inseparable from many of the sport’s biggest moments over his 50 years at the BBC, died on Thursday. He was 77.

The BBC confirmed his death, citing a statement from his family. The family did not specify a cause but said he “died peacefully in his sleep.”

The network turned to Mr. Motson, who retired in 2018, for its top matches, including 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 F.A. Cup finals. He also offered analysis on “Match of the Day,” the BBC’s weekly highlights show.

“John Motson was the voice of a footballing generation,” the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, said in a statement, adding that “like all the greats behind the mic, John had the right words, at the right time, for all the big moments.”

Mr. Motson, often known by his nickname, “Motty,” was born on July 10, 1945, in Salford, England. He dreamed of becoming a print reporter, starting his career when he left school at 16 at the weekly Barnet Press and the daily Sheffield Morning Telegraph, according to a 2008 profile in The Independent.

He was selected to participate in a local radio station’s experiment that relied on print reporters. An editor, after hearing his work on the radio, told him: “John, on the evidence of this copy, I really think you should try the world of the voice,” he told The Independent.

He thrived on local radio, and joined the BBC in 1968 before starting on “Match of the Day” in 1971. He went on to become the station’s leading voice, calling nearly 2,500 games in his career, including more than 200 involving England’s national team.

He was also in Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 when 96 fans of Liverpool’s team were fatally crushed and trampled and 700 more were injured, a tragedy that has remained in the news decades later.

For many soccer fans in Britain, the news of his death inspired remembrances of their favorite calls, many of which were attached to beloved games as they grew to love the sport. Gary Lineker, the current host for “Match of the Day,” was among those paying tribute, saying on Twitter that Mr. Motson was a “quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations.”

Mr. Motson is survived by his wife, Anne, and son, Frederick, according to the BBC.