Commentators can make or break a moment in football. Watching a match in silence is an absolute no go, football commentary can be as poetic as a Lionel Messi goal.
Whether it is building up suspense for a penalty or describing the atmosphere for fans watching at home, the top football commentators are fantastic at finding the right words for iconic moments.
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John Motson
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Clive Tyldesley
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Kenneth Wolstenholme
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Martin Tyler
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Barry Davies
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Peter Drury
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Brian Moore
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Jon Champion
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Alan Parry
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David Coleman
These commentators have delivered some of football’s best lines. From the 1966 World Cup final to Liverpool’s first Premier League title, commentary is often embedded in history alongside specific moments.
Without further ado, it is time to look at 10 of the greatest football commentators. We’ve got some absolute legends of the commentary box on this list, starting with the great David Coleman.
10 – David Coleman
Coleman helped put BBC Sport on the map. His passion for football helped him to dominate the channel’s coverage for over 40 years.
He was fortunate enough to commentate on six World Cups during his career and he was chosen to replace the legendary Kenneth Wolstenholme as senior football commentator in 1971.
A lead commentator on Match of the Day when the programme began in 1964, Coleman is known for his “One-nil!” phrase and his infectious enthusiasm was clear for all to see when describing that Gordon Banks save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup.
While he was replaced by John Motson in 1979, Coleman covered live matches for another two years before focusing on athletics. Coleman commented on every Olympic Games from 1960 to 2000 before putting the microphone down aged 74.
9 – Alan Parry
Parry started his media career on the radio before taking a commentary role with Match of the Day. However, just four years later he switched to ITV after the chance opened up to become the channel’s second in command.
He stayed at ITV until 1996 before joining to broadcast giants Sky following Euro 96, with Parry taking over the Monday Night Football commentary role. 24 years later, Parry is still at Sky Sport and he is one of their main commentators.
Most people remember Parry for his time at ITV, particularly after his excitement at Roberto Baggio’s solo goal at Italia ’90.
Parry has enjoyed a superb career in the commentary box, covering a number of League Cup finals as well as international fixtures and Champions League encounters.
8 – Jon Champion
Champion is one of the best in the business and he forms one of the best commentary box duos alongside former Scotland international Ally McLeish.
Having now moved to the United States of America, Champion no longer covers the Premier League on these shores but he has enjoyed time with the likes of BBC Sport, ITV Sport and ESPN over the years.
Younger fans will recall Champion commentating at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while he also saw roles at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 tournaments for various broadcasters.
In addition, Champion’s voice can be heard commenting on several editions of the popular sports video game Pro Evolution Soccer.
7 – Brian Moore
Moore is one of the football commentary originals, with many supporters believing that he was the first man to bring the professional into the public spotlight.
He covered nine FIFA World Cups throughout his illustrious career, while also commentating on more than 20 Cup championship finals. Furthermore, he was behind the microphone for England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup final success.
Sadly no longer with us, Moore will be forever remembered for taking the commentary game to new heights during a thriving period for the football industry.
To this day, he is known for his immaculate description and unrivalled passion while at the microphone. He worked for both BBC and ITV during his career, which is testament to his extensive skillset.
6 – Peter Drury
One of the greatest football commentators around at the moment, Drury has come out with some of the sport’s most memorable quotes in the commentary box.
With an unrivalled ability to enhance the viewing experience through his words, Drury is the Mike Dean of the commentating world. He is box office and football fans love it.
Drury has commentated on some of football’s biggest tournaments, including but not limited to the Premier League, Champions League and FIFA World Cup. Praised for his fair view on the sport, Drury is maturing into a football legend.
His commentary for Siphiwe Tshabalala’s goal at the 2010 World Cup will live long in the memory, as will his incredible commentary following Kostas Manolas’ late winner against Barcelona in the Champions League.
5 – Barry Davies
Davies was a commentator before his time, enthralling viewers with his unique take on the action. Installed as a Match of the Day commentator shortly after, he impressed and held his own on the show for 35 years.
In 1977, Davies was set to commentate on the FA Cup Final but Motson got the gig – which started off a ‘rivalry’ between the two. This battle raged on until Davies stepped away from the commentary box in 2004.
Despite his impact and influence, Davies was only able to commentate on two FA Cup finals in his career. Playing second fiddle to Motson wasn’t easy but that was the position Davies found himself in.
Davies branched out into athletics during his spell at the BBC, including hockey, gymnastics, cycling, beach volleyball and badminton.
4 – Martin Tyler
The face of Sky Sports, Tyler is widely regarded as the current voice of English football – particularly with regards to the Premier League. While some have been critical of his style, he has certainly helped to intensify the drama.
Football fans across the country will recall Tyler’s epic commentary after Sergio Aguero’s sensational goal against Queens Park Rangers to clinch Manchester City’s first Premier League title.
Rivalling the likes of Drury, Jim Beglin and Alan Smith, Tyler has been the standout football commentator for most of his career and he will go down in history as an all-time great.
With limitations on his work on the international stage compared to some of his peers, Tyler just misses out on a place in the top three in our football commentator rankings.
3 – Kenneth Wolstenholme
“Some of the fans are on the pitch… they think it’s all over… it is now!” will go down as one of football’s greatest quotes and Kenneth Wolstenholme’s name will be forever associated to England’s World Cup triumph in 1966.
While those lines defined Wolstenholme’s career to some extent, the commentator had been around for a good 15 years before that. In fact, he covered the FA Cup final for BBC every year between 1951 and 1971.
In addition, Wolstenholme worked on a number of European Cup finals in the late 1960s, including wins for Celtic and Manchester United.
Wolstenholme left the BBC in 1971 but reappeared in the 1990s on Channel 4, covering Football Italia. He will be remembered forever as a football icon.
2 – Clive Tyldesley
Part of ITV’s commentary team for decades, Tyldesley is a football legend. If you are asked to name the first football commentator that springs to mind, Tyldesley would be a popular suggestion.
Tyldesley has won numerous awards for his role as a commentator over the years, including the Royal Television Society Sports Commentator of the Year on four occasions.
Like Champion, Tyldesley has also been part of a sports video game – with EA Sports asking him to do the commentary voiceover on some of their games for a period of time.
Unfortunately, his relationship with ITV turned sour in 2020 after the channel made the shock move to part ways with Tyldesley. Still, that does his standing in our list of the top 10 football commentators no harm at all.
1 – John Motson
Motson started his career in the commentary box in 1971 and he is one of the most senior and experienced football commentators around – covering around 2000 matches on TV and radio.
While he retired from live commentary in 2008, Motson continued to do a lot of highlight packages and Match of the Day specials for BBC. However, he sent shockwaves around the football world when announcing he would return to work with TalkSport in 2017.
Motson was the voice of a generation, with football fans around the world listening to his iconic tones week in, week out. He is undoubtedly one of the very best commentators in the history of football.
Often using subtle, understating language to describe the action, his impact on the football commentary world will live long in the memory.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Elise Amendola / AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 16th September 2020
