So Spain are European Champions once more and the current squad has at long last fulfilled their potential. Yet when the TV was switched off tonight, a little piece of my life vanished with it.
John Motson, the definitive voice of the BBC's football coverage for over 35 years, is stepping down. This evening's final was his last major event as he retires from live broadcasting and shuffles off to the semi-retirement home.
Yet I feel that I've lost a relative, a surrogate father who was there for me when I was seven years old and first began to comprehend this strange little game where grown men ran after this round object on the field.
It was on May 16th 1979 when I had my first football memory. The weather was glorious, the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester United was on the BBC, and Motty was invited into our home for the first time. They would later call it the 'five minute final', as United came back from two goals down to equalise, only for the afro-headed Alan Sunderland to score the winner with seconds remaining.
It was Motty who captured the emotion, drama and fairytale ending for the nation- and for this seven year old boy in particular. As I grew older I felt that Salford's finest was watching over me, taking me to far away places with exotic names where my parents could never afford to tread. He educated me with an endless array of facts and statistics and introduced me to heroes who had wings on their heels and could fly through the air.
Ok, so he had THAT sheepskin coat, but don't most families have at least one relative who errs on the eccentric side of life?
MOTTY ARRIVES
He announced his arrival on mainstream consciousness in the year I was born. It was February 1972, and Motty was assigned to cover a much-delayed FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle United. The expectation was that Newcastle would coast it and so Motty would occupy his usual wilderness slot on Match of the Day for the last five minutes.
But Newcastle were stunned as Hereford came back from a goal down to win 2-1, with Ronnie Radford unleashing an unforgettable 40 yard screamer that had Motty orgasmically screaming with delight.
"RADFORD AGAIN...OH WHAT A GOAL, WHAT A GOAL, RADFORD THE SCORER, RONNIE RADFORD, AND THE CROWD, THE CROWD ARE INVADING THE PITCH AND NOW IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO CLEAR THE PITCH."
The shot of hordes of parka-clad teenagers running onto the quagmire field in celebration is one of the FA Cup's definitive images. There was no fag-end slot for Motty now. The match was catapulted up the pecking order to the top of the programme and a new star was born
AT THE 1982 WORLD CUP
Watching the World Cup in Spain on TV was one of my fondest childhood experiences and Motty was there to describe it for me in his own inimicable way.
Growing up in Belfast, we were proud of Northern Ireland's achievements at the tournament and our 1-0 victory over the hosts on June 25th. Motty's commentary conveyed the drama and the tension to the watching millions back in the UK, and his description of NI's winning goal from a mistake by the Spanish keeper Arconada remains a treasure to the ear:
"Still Billy Hamilton he's got past Tendillo... and Arconada... ARMSTRONG!"
John Motson, the definitive voice of the BBC's football coverage for over 35 years, is stepping down. This evening's final was his last major event as he retires from live broadcasting and shuffles off to the semi-retirement home.
Yet I feel that I've lost a relative, a surrogate father who was there for me when I was seven years old and first began to comprehend this strange little game where grown men ran after this round object on the field.
It was on May 16th 1979 when I had my first football memory. The weather was glorious, the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester United was on the BBC, and Motty was invited into our home for the first time. They would later call it the 'five minute final', as United came back from two goals down to equalise, only for the afro-headed Alan Sunderland to score the winner with seconds remaining.
It was Motty who captured the emotion, drama and fairytale ending for the nation- and for this seven year old boy in particular. As I grew older I felt that Salford's finest was watching over me, taking me to far away places with exotic names where my parents could never afford to tread. He educated me with an endless array of facts and statistics and introduced me to heroes who had wings on their heels and could fly through the air.
Ok, so he had THAT sheepskin coat, but don't most families have at least one relative who errs on the eccentric side of life?
MOTTY ARRIVES
He announced his arrival on mainstream consciousness in the year I was born. It was February 1972, and Motty was assigned to cover a much-delayed FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle United. The expectation was that Newcastle would coast it and so Motty would occupy his usual wilderness slot on Match of the Day for the last five minutes.
But Newcastle were stunned as Hereford came back from a goal down to win 2-1, with Ronnie Radford unleashing an unforgettable 40 yard screamer that had Motty orgasmically screaming with delight.
"RADFORD AGAIN...OH WHAT A GOAL, WHAT A GOAL, RADFORD THE SCORER, RONNIE RADFORD, AND THE CROWD, THE CROWD ARE INVADING THE PITCH AND NOW IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO CLEAR THE PITCH."
The shot of hordes of parka-clad teenagers running onto the quagmire field in celebration is one of the FA Cup's definitive images. There was no fag-end slot for Motty now. The match was catapulted up the pecking order to the top of the programme and a new star was born
AT THE 1982 WORLD CUP
Watching the World Cup in Spain on TV was one of my fondest childhood experiences and Motty was there to describe it for me in his own inimicable way.
Growing up in Belfast, we were proud of Northern Ireland's achievements at the tournament and our 1-0 victory over the hosts on June 25th. Motty's commentary conveyed the drama and the tension to the watching millions back in the UK, and his description of NI's winning goal from a mistake by the Spanish keeper Arconada remains a treasure to the ear:
"Still Billy Hamilton he's got past Tendillo... and Arconada... ARMSTRONG!"
So good that 'Arconada... Armstrong!' became the title of a NI fanzine for many years.
Motty always maintained that the best game he ever covered was the Brazil/Italy clash at the same World Cup. That Brazil side, arguably the greatest side never to have won the competition, played some of the most spellbinding football ever seen in the tournament's history. Yet they lost 3-2 to Paolo Rossi's hat-trick and crashed out, leaving only a few precious mementoes for boys and young men to carry with them through to middle age.
And Motty's near hysterical commentary perfectly captured the tragedy of that sweltering July afternoon.
"Oh what a turn by Zico" is my personal favourite from that eternal classic.
HIS LEGACY
Not everybody likes John Motson and his style of commentary. His 'statistical fetish' and anorakish obsession with arcane triva are viewed by many as out of touch in the 21st century. And of course he has served up a sizeable helping of howlers over the years.
However even the most annoying relatives are mourned, and one thing that I'm certain of is that he will be missed. Motty is a national institution, a family treasure, and I for one will feel a moment or two of sorrow as yet another friend slips away, with only the memories left remaining.
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