6/29/08
Euro final marks the end of BBC's voice of football
LONDON (AFP) — The Euro 2008 final between Germany and Spain later on Sunday will bring down the curtain on the BBC's world renowned football commentator John Motson in terms of live commentaries.
The 62-year-old - renowned for his sheepskin coats and football trivia knowledge - will carry on commentating but has already said that the 2010 World Cup finals are beyond him because of his age.
"I am coming to the end of my career, I know that," Motson told the BBC.
"I'd been thinking about it at the start of the season, but now I've decided I don't want to be tearing around South Africa for the 2010 World Cup at the age of 65. It's physically and mentally challenging."
Motson has covered nine European Championships, nine World Cups and 34 FA Cup finals and whilst some preferred the more witty and cultivated Barry Davies, Motson traditionally got the big games ahead of him.
He began his broadcasting career on BBC Radio Two, but his Match of the Day commentary career was launched when he was detailed to cover the FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle in 1972.
The BBC thought the match would warrant a five-minute segment following their two main games, but Hereford's shock 2-1 win - aided by Ronnie Radford's famous 30-yard strike that sparked a mini pitch invasion - saw the match promoted to the main game, and Motson never looked back.
"That was the breakthrough game for me," he tells BBC Sport. "It showed people I could cope with the big game."
Motson, son of a Methodist Minister and whose favourite match was the 1982 World Cup match between eventual champions Italy and Brazil which saw Paolo Rossi score a hat-trick as the Italians won 3-2, has had more great moments than lows but sometimes his enthusiasm overflowed as was evidenced at this year's FA Cup.
"Portsmouth think they've scored," yelled 'Motty', to which his expert pundit Mark Lawrenson replied diplomatically: "Er, well, that was probably because they had, John."
