The Prince of Wales has hailed commentator John Motson as “a legend whose voice was football” following his death aged 77.

Motson, known as “Motty”, became synonymous with English football during his distinguished 50-year career with the BBC.

He retired in 2018 after covering 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, 29 FA Cup finals and more than 200 England matches.

William led tributes to Motson on Thursday, tweeting to say he was “very sad” to hear of his death.

In a signed tweet, William said: “Very sad to hear about the passing of John Motson – a legend whose voice was football.

“My thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Hugely popular with generations of football fans and famous for his sheepskin coat, Motson began working for Match of the Day in 1971 and commentated on more than 2,500 games.

Motson, who became an OBE for services to sports broadcasting in 2001, was the son of a Methodist minister, born in Salford, Lancashire.

After starting out as a newspaper reporter in Barnet and then at the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, he joined the BBC in 1968 as a sports presenter on Radio 2.

Motson’s commentary on Ronnie Radford’s famous long-range strike which helped non-league Hereford knock top-flight Newcastle out of the FA Cup in 1972 saw him take top billing on Match Of The Day – pushing him into the spotlight and the affections of the sporting public.

His enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the game, its players and managers, earned him a place in the hearts of fans for five decades.

Current Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker described him as “a quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations”.

Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler said Motson was the standard-bearer for those that followed.

“John was the standard-setter for us all,” Tyler said. “We basically all looked up to him – his diligence, his dedication, his knowledge. He was a very serious broadcaster but he was a real fun guy to be around.”

John Motson File Photo
John Motson was hailed as a “legend whose voice was football” (Martyn Hayhow/PA)

Fellow commentator Clive Tyldesley wrote on Twitter: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else.”

Motson’s long career also took in two Olympic Games and Wimbledon’s memorable 1988 FA Cup final triumph against Liverpool at Wembley as the “Crazy Gang” beat the “Culture Club”.

Motson hung up his microphone for the BBC at the end of the 2017-18 Premier League season and after his final game – Crystal Palace v West Brom – he was invited on to the pitch.

Palace boss Roy Hodgson made a special presentation and Motson was warmly applauded by fans.

Motson, educated at Culford School near Bury St Edmunds, began a career in journalism as a reporter in Barnet in 1963 and in 1967 he worked for the Sheffield Morning Telegraph.

His broadcasting career began the following year as a sports presenter on BBC Radio 2 and his big breakthrough came in 1972 when his commentary of Hereford’s famous upset of Newcastle in an FA Cup replay earned him a regular slot on Match of the Day.

Motson later said that he owed his commentating career to Radford’s goal.

He called his first FA Cup final in 1977 when he replaced David Coleman for Manchester United’s win against Liverpool and from 1979 to 2008 he commentated on every FA Cup final for the BBC.

He was also the BBC’s voice for other major football finals, including the European Championship and the World Cup.

In September 2017, Motson announced he would retire from the BBC at the end of the season and in 2018 the corporation celebrated his career with three special programmes, Motty Mastermind, Motty – The Man Behind The Sheepskin and Countdown To The Full Motty.

BBC director-general Tim Davie also described Motson as “the voice of a footballing generation”, steering fans “through the twists and turns of FA Cup runs, the highs and lows of World Cups and, of course, Saturday nights on Match of the Day”.

Davie added: “Like all the greats behind the mic, John had the right words, at the right time, for all the big moments.

“He will rightly be remembered as a legendary figure in British sports broadcasting, respected by those in the game, loved by fans and an inspiration to those who followed him in the commentary box.”