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      I appeared on Soccer AM and it was the greatest day of my life – Sky shouldn’t axe this icon and here’s why

      by

      JUST when I thought I had avoided a full-blown mid-life crisis, Sky have axed Soccer AM.After three decades “All Aboard The Showboat” we are being forced to disembark.
      It had taken me six years to get over the departure of former host, Helen Chamberlain — and now this?Credit: PA:Press Association
      The Luther Blissett stand will fall silent for ever after the final show goes out on May 27 – Gordon on show in 2013 with Helen, James Corden and Max Rushden
      Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain in 2003 on the show’s sofaCredit: Rex
      The Luther Blissett stand — the studio audience’s enclosure — will fall silent for ever after the final show goes out on May 27.
      It had taken me six years to get over the departure of former host, Helen “Hells Bells” Chamberlain — and now this?
      It feels like my team has gone into administration, failing to find a billionaire buyer. We’ve had points deducted, been relegated, lost a derby to our local rivals and been bought by a dodgy consortium.
      There’s no chance VAR has cocked this one up — the referee’s decision is final. In football terms, the clearout has started. Big Sam Allardyce won’t be getting the call to save the day.
      The veteran on and off-screen team — who have entertained us through four decades — have failed to survive the dreaded vote of no confidence from Sky executives.
      It’s not even a fire sale of the big names. They are all being unceremoniously turfed out for a younger, fresher, social media-focused format.
      Magical camaraderie
      The Sun broke the news online yesterday with a heavy heart — yet another TV institution running its course.
      The loyal, hard-working and passionate team have been told they will be made redundant at the end of this season — with only ten more shows to go.
      Most read in Football
      In a statement colder than a wet Wednesday in Stoke, Sky said: “Soccer AM has played an important role in our coverage of football for the past three decades, and we continually adapt to the evolving needs of our customers.
      “We now go into a period of consultation to discuss the proposed changes with our people. We are unable to provide more detail while these consultations are underway.”
      Soccer Saturday anchor and pal of the show, Jeff Stelling, will be seething. Chris Kamara has definitely said: “Unbelievable, Jeff!”
      The fabric of this fine country is held together by football, and Soccer AM has long been the unofficial starting whistle for weekend shenanigans for lads (and lassies) like me since 1995.
      The love affair started with Hells Bells and Tim Lovejoy back in the 90s. Like the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, or peak Chris Evans with TFI Friday, you felt like you were part of the gang.
      I’ll never forget the first time former Rangers defender Scott Wilson came up to me in a nightclub and said I had something on my shoe. I raised my heel and he said, “Oh sailor!”
      That infantile banter was stolen straight from Soccer AM and repeated around the country on a daily basis, until the jokes wore thin and they found a new one.
      If you’ve ever heard “taxi!” shouted at any football occasion (when somebody has shamed themselves on the pitch) THAT came from Soccer AM.
      Third Eye, Nutmeg Files, Sky Spoof News, Skill Skool — if you know the show, they immediately bring a smile to your face.
      The Crossbar Challenge — attempt to hit it with a shot from the halfway line — is one of the greatest games invented for football teams at any level.
      The word “tekkers”, for sublime technique, was popularised on Saturday mornings, signposting an amazing display of talent.
      It hasn’t been without controversy. I’d argue that’s the sign of any good show.
      The Soccerettes — young women who were the subject of the male presenter’s innuendos — ceased to be in 2015.
      They were out of date in the post-lads mag world. It was time to go and the show evolved. Fans of the week, Colonel & Ginger, Frankie Fryer away days, Tubes’ Question and rap, the end of season dance-off — they were all TV gold for my generation.
      The sketches with the original team made the show essential viewing through my teens and 20s – pictured John with Helen
      Noel Gallagher, who loved the show, and Jimmy ‘Bully’ Bullard appearing on Soccer AMCredit: Sky
      The sketches with the original team — John Fendley, Joe “Sheephead” Worsley, Robbie “The Tramp” Knox, Peter Dale and James Long — made the show essential viewing through my teens and 20s.
      Then, in my 30s and now 40s, with Fenners — AKA John Fendley, the current co-host — taking the reins with Jimmy Bullard, and ace comedian Lloyd Griffiths for a few years, I’ve fallen in love with it all over again alongside my teenage son on the sofa.
      Soccer AM still pulls great guests and it should be admired for shining a light on new music talent. It’s not just about football, it’s about the bands that soundtracked our weekends, and so many of the show’s clever collages of video clips.
      We still quote Bob Bradley, Fenners’ pastiche of a US soccer coach. Yorkshire News and Barry Proudfoot sketches still make me laugh.
      Fenners’ voiceover and lip sync to old pictures of Gary Lineker and Alan Smith at Leicester in the ’80s makes me laugh every week. Without sounding too much like Alan Hansen and his infamous “You’ll win nothing with kids . . . ”
      Match Of the Day barb about Sir Alex Ferguson’s Class of ’92, I don’t see where the new show will recreate that magical camaraderie.
      Saturday morning without Fenners and Bully laughing at hapless fans failing to hit “top bins” — positioned in the upper corners of the goalmouth — will be like getting in the team bath with your socks still on. It will feel so wrong.
      It’s the kind of emotional turmoil a man in his 40s, who still thinks he’s in his 20s and dresses like it’s the ’90s, just can’t process without careering off the rails.
      Critics will say the show’s been slipping down the leagues for years, but I admire the way it has evolved.
      We’ve grown to love the effervescent Jimmy “Bully” Bullard.
      Producer turned show star Peter Dale — “Tubes” to the uninitiated — has survived a heart attack and alcoholism, for heaven’s sake. We lived through that with him. He is our North Star, but he is going, too.
      Last night former star Rocket, real name James Long and the face of show segment Skill Skool, posted on Twitter: “End of an era!”
      Former host, now TalkSport presenter, Andy Goldstein added: “Honoured to have been a part of it, all be it for just a season (a bit like Cantona at Leeds) Tim and Helen were incredible. To be a fan for so long and then sit on the orange sofa was the stuff of dreams.”
      I was very lucky to take part in the car park challenge twice, in 2011 and 2013.
      My first outing, dressed in full Scotland kit, witnessed one of the greatest moments of my life — right up there with my kids being born. I rolled the ball up the inside of my leg, then hit on the half volley as it dropped. Wallop! I’d dreamed of doing that for 15 years — straight through.
      It was only usurped by Sergio Pizzorno from Kasabian, who flicked it up in a pair of winklepickers then volleyed it clean through the inflatable Wembley Arch.
      All the more impressive when you knew he hadn’t been to bed the night before.
      That was the magic — Soccer AM had authentic rock’n’roll spirit that will be hard to replace.
      The Gallagher brothers loved the show, and Hollywood stars such as The Rock were more than happy to get involved in the Pro-Am.
      Sky are hoping a new phoenix will emerge from the flames with those painful words middle-aged men fear, “whilst hoping to attract a younger audience . . . ”
      It all feels a bit like that journeyman footballer when his legs have gone.
      Remember Gary Neville’s last game at Manchester United? He was knackered, the legs gave in and even for his biggest detractors, there was something sad about seeing him hauled off by Sir Alex Ferguson in the first half.
      But I believe there’s still room for an Indian summer for Soccer AM — the format is too good to give up.
      Read More on The Sun
      Paul Gascoigne on the long-running Sky Sports showCredit: Sky
      Simon Le Bon with Asim Chaudhry on Soccer AM in 2021
      Kasabian star Sergio Pizzorno also made an appearance More

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      I was a Soccer AM Soccerette TWICE – it was great fun for models like me but I have a different view of it now

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      I LOVED watching Soccer AM so much that I appeared as a Soccerette twice.The weekend show was perfect when you had a hangover from a night out and was essential viewing for a football fan like me.
      I was a Soccer AM Soccerette TWICE – it was great fun for models like me, says Peta Todd
      Peta Todd believes the end of Soccer AM is a sign of the timesCredit: Louis Wood
      I wouldn’t take my kit off on television now, but back then I was a model and was glad to be invited on.
      I enjoyed it enough to return to show off my West Ham top for a second time.
      The hosts were always great to work with – it was always fun.
      I wasn’t the only one who wanted to be on Soccer AM.
      READ MORE ON SOCCER AM
      The calibre of guests such as Wayne Rooney shows how popular it was.
      Soccer AM was the first time I really felt that a female host was holding their own on a football show.
      Torquay United fan Helen Chamberlain was a trailblazer for women in sports presenting.
      There weren’t that many female pundits 30 years ago and few are as well respected as her.
      Most read in Football
      She was able to hold her own with all the banter of those laddish men.
      If there was nonsense going on, she would put her foot down.
      A lot of people will be nostalgic about Soccer AM and it is a shame it is ending.
      But it was a show that thrived in the 1990s and I don’t think it would get commissioned now.
      Its main problem is that younger audiences prefer to watch YouTube shows or listen to podcasts.
      The end of Soccer AM is a sign of the times. More

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      in Soccer

      Losing baby Angel wasn’t our first tragedy – we had three miscarriages, reveals Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez

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      IT’S almost a year since Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez welcomed their daughter Bella Esmeralda into the world in a very bittersweet way, with the tragic loss of Bella’s twin brother Angel.And Spanish influencer Georgina, 29, has now revealed she had suffered three miscarriages before.
      Georgina Rodriguez said: ‘I was very afraid at each ultrasound. I felt very tense because I’d had three previous miscarriages and I came home in pieces’Credit: Reuters
      The couple on Instagram with the ultrasound scan of their unborn twins
      She says: “Every time I went to the gynaecologist’s at night I had nightmares because I was worried about what position they would be in, what the delivery would be like, if it would be a Caesarean section.
      “I was very afraid at each ultrasound. I felt very tense because I’d had three previous miscarriages and I came home in pieces.”
      She describes her visits to the gynaecologist as “horrible, because I was always vomiting”.
      Soon after Georgina gave birth in April 2022, she and Ronaldo, 38, announced Angel’s death as they paid tribute online.
      Read More on Georgina Rodriguez
      He wrote on social media: “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel.
      ‘You ask yourself how you’ll carry on’
      “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.
      “We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support.
      “We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time.
      Most read in Football
      “Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.”
      Georgina makes her shock revelations in the new series of Netflix documentary I Am Georgina, which is set to premiere on Friday.
      As well as Bella, she shares daughter Alana, three, with Ronaldo, while the former Manchester United star also has son Cristiano Jr, 12 — whose mother’s identity he has never revealed — and four-year-old twins Eva and Mateo, who he had with an American surrogate.
      Georgina, who treats all of Ronaldo’s brood as her own, says she didn’t immediately tell her other children that Angel had not survived, instead saying he would be born a little later than his sister.
      She says: “They were born on Easter Monday. The most-awaited moment arrives and your heart stops.
      “Bella was born strong and healthy but a piece of my heart shattered.
      “You ask yourself how you’re going to carry on. I wasn’t prepared to accept or recognise what had happened to me and I wasn’t ready to tell my children about it.
      “As I still had a belly, I told them that Angel was still going to wait a bit to be born, until Cris told them that Angel was in Heaven. That was a dose of reality.”
      Ronaldo has previously spoken of the challenging conversations he had to have with his other children when they returned home from hospital without Angel.
      The smiling family with their new addition, their daughter Bella
      Ronaldo holds the couple’s new baby Bella
      He told Piers Morgan on TalkTV: “In the beginning Gio (Georgina) arrived home and the kids start to say, ‘Where’s the other baby?’
      “I had a conversation with Cristiano (Junior) on the day, because he’s 12 years old, he knows, understands everything, and I had a nice conversation with him.
      “We cried together in his bedroom and explained and he does understand, but in the same way he was a little bit confused.
      “The other ones in the beginning, the kids start to say, ‘Mum, where is the other baby, blah blah blah’. And you know, she had a little bit of a belly because they had two, it’s a hard process.
      “And after one week I say, ‘Let’s be up front and let’s be honest with the kids, let’s say that Angel, they go to Heaven’.”
      Before Georgina returned home from hospital, her sister Ivana helped by removing the cot, Moses cradle and teddy bear that Georgina had prepared for Angel at the Cheshire home where the family were then living.
      This year they moved to Saudi Arabia, after Ronaldo signed for Riyadh club Al-Nassr.
      And after the turmoil of the last year Georgina has found that being a mum to Bella has provided some comfort.
      She says: “She has managed to fill to some extent that hole that is present in my life.
      “When she’s older and we tell her what happened, she will be very proud of what she has achieved.”
      But she continues: “I will never be the same person again. Every time I look at Bella I ask myself, ‘Would Angel be like that?’
      “The truth is I feel I am not ready to think about it, as if I still haven’t accepted it.
      “I always say to my children, ‘Your little brother is in the sky, he doesn’t want to walk, he wants to fly. Every time you look at the sky, think of him’.”
      There are other reminders of Angel for Georgina and Ronaldo.
      In the documentary, Georgina is filmed getting a tattoo done, thought to be in memory of Angel, and Ronaldo has said he keeps his son’s ashes with him in the house, as well as those of his father José, who died of liver failure in 2005.
      ‘We are a nice couple and we help each other’
      The couple met when Georgina was working as a £10-an-hour sales assistant at the Gucci shop in Madrid, and she has previously said it was “love at first sight”.
      They were first seen together going on a string of dates towards the end of 2016.
      In the new Netflix series Georgina, who now has 47 million followers on Instagram, thanks her partner for his “unconditional support and love” and helping her through one of the toughest periods of her life.
      She adds: “Cris really encouraged me to continue with my agenda.
      “He said, ‘Gio, get on with your life, it’ll do you good’.
      “He has played a really important role. Gods put the right people in your path.”
      Likewise, Ronaldo has spoken about the support that Georgina has given him.
      He said: “She’s very mature for this age. We help each other sometimes when I’m a little bit down she pushes me up and I do it the other side.
      “So we are a nice couple and we help each other, so I’m really pleased that she’s on my side.”
      For now, it seems Georgina is trying to be as strong as she can for the sake of herself and her family.
      She says: “Life’s hard, life goes on. I have reasons to move on and be strong. My priority right now is my family and my children. I’m so happy and thankful.”
      Having taken on the mother role for all of Ronaldo’s children, Georgina says she feels “like a super mum, and Superwoman”.
      But for now at least, it doesn’t sound as if they will be having any more kids.
      Ronaldo, the all-time leading goal scorer in men’s football, has said that he and Georgina are content with their family set-up and plan to enjoy their time with their children while they are little.
      He said: “I’m not thinking more kids now, I think we are done, but we never know the future, only God knows.
      “But right now we all want to have a break to enjoy these ones because they are little. We want to enjoy a little bit of these ones. Let’s see in the future.”
      However, marriage does sound like it is on the cards, as Ronaldo says it would be his mum Maria’s dream to see him and Georgina walk down the aisle.
      “We’ll be (married) one day, for sure,” he said.
      “It’s my mum’s dream as well, so one day. Why not? It’s great.”
      And he said of Georgina: “She’s my friend. We have conversations. I open the heart for her and she opens the heart for me.
      Read More on The Sun
      “I’m not thinking now about that but I can see in the future I think I deserve, she deserves.
      “But it’s something that’s not coming now in my plans but in the future is yes, I want.”
      Tearful Georgina breaks down on the show
      Georgina and Cristiano united in 2019Credit: Splash News More

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      I was suicidal after being accused of taking banned drugs before big fight, Conor Benn tells Piers Morgan

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      BOXER Conor Benn has revealed he wanted to kill himself after being accused of taking a banned testosterone-boosting drug.The welterweight champ — son of ring legend Nigel Benn — confessed to Piers Morgan that he contemplated suicide after testing positive.
      Conor Benn revealed he wanted to kill himself after being accused of taking a banned testosterone-boosting drugCredit: Getty
      Conor told Piers Morgan: ‘It’s hurt me. I didn’t think I was going to make it through this period’Credit: TALK TV
      Conor faces off with Chris Eubank Jr, left, and promoter Eddie Hearn before there 2022 bout was cancelledCredit: Reuters
      With tears in his eyes, he revealed he also suffered night terrors and panic attacks in the wake of the drugs tests last autumn, while his son was subjected to vile racist abuse.
      But Conor, 26, comes out fighting in his first televised interview since the scandal, to be shown on TalkTV at 8pm tomorrow night.
      He strongly denied any wrongdoing and vowed to clear his name.
      And in Piers Morgan Uncensored, Benn also reveals he wants to sue British boxing’s governing body for loss of earnings and damage to his reputation.
      Read More on Conor Benn
      Piers asked him: “To be branded a cheat in the court of public opinion, what has that done to you?”
      Conor said: “It’s hurt me. I didn’t think I was going to make it through this period.
      “It’s hard because I feel like I was on death row for something I hadn’t even done.
      “If I had done something wrong, you know, I am human. I would raise my hands to it, ‘I made a mistake’.
      Most read in Boxing
      ‘I was sobbing most nights’
      “Whatever it is, my personal life, I raise my hands. Never this.
      “I felt like seven years of hard work and sacrifice and leaving my family, and the image I maintained, was just ruined at someone else’s incompetence. It’s been hard for the family.”
      Piers asked: “When you say you didn’t think you would make it, what did you mean?”
      Conor said: “I was taking it day by day. I didn’t think I would see another day.”
      Asked if he was feeling suicidal, Benn replied: “Yeah, I would say so.
      “And it upsets me now because I don’t know how I got so bad. I got in a really bad way.
      “If you think I’m innocent or if you don’t think I am innocent — I am innocent.”
      Conor’s nightmare began as he was about to fight Chris Eubank Jnr — the son of another boxing legend — at London’s O2 Arena last October.
      Although I had done nothing wrong, I was having night terrors, panic attacks. I was really struggling. I was in a really bad way.Conor Benn
      But the British Boxing Board of Control — BBBofC — suddenly cancelled the much-hyped bout after two tests appeared to show that undefeated welterweight Benn had traces of testosterone-altering drug clomifene in his system.
      Becoming emotional, he said: “I would never do this to my family. I would never do this to my supporters.
      “Do you think I would do this to my dad? Do you think I would do this to my son, who’s now got to grow up and look at this?
      “It’s not who I am and it killed me because I was transparent with the public my whole career from 19 years old.
      “I’m a grown man now who has worked hard over the years.”
      Since being accused, Conor and his family — including young son, Eli — have been subjected to vile abuse on social media.
      Piers asked him what had been the worst things he had read about himself in the last four months.
      Conor said: “There’s been too many. Kill yourself. Racist comments to my son, with my family.
      “Nothing in person. It’s cowardly. I don’t even think it was social media that bothers me.
      “It was more so of the shame I felt leaving the house, although I had done nothing wrong. I was having night terrors, panic attacks.
      “I was really struggling and I was coping terribly with it. I was in a really bad way.”
      Later, the boxer said: “I was sobbing most nights. I didn’t want to go to sleep because I knew what I had to wake up to.
      “You’ve got to remember this was a nightmare for me.
      “How has this happened? How have I got in this situation? My faith let me down.
      Proud Conor in church with his wife Victoria and baby son Eli in 2021Credit: INSTAGRAM/CONOR BENN
      Son Conor is hoisted by dad, boxing legend Nigel, after his 2018 Welterweight title winCredit: PA
      Conor told Piers: ‘It’s been brutal. It does feel like a witch-hunt’Credit: TALK TV
      “I felt like I didn’t understand why this had happened when I’ve done nothing but work diligently hard. I was in a dark way.”
      Benn returned adverse findings for clomifene in two samples ahead of his bout with Eubank.
      According to the World Boxing Council, there is no conclusive evidence Conor intentionally took the banned substance, which can boost testosterone levels by 50 per cent.
      But he is now awaiting the verdict of a separate investigation by BBBofC and the UK Anti-Doping Agency which will decide whether Benn will receive a ban from boxing.
      Conor told Piers: “It’s been brutal. It does feel like a witch-hunt.
      “I’ve never seen anything quite like this before in any other athlete, whether they’ve raised their hands to it or they’ve just taken a small ban.
      “I was willing to fight and prove my innocence — although there was an easy way out at the beginning in lying and saying, ‘I may have accidentally done this, I may have done this by accident’ and taken a small six month ban.
      “Instead I chose to fight this because my integrity mattered more to me.
      “I would never ever, ever raise my hands to something I ain’t done.
      “This is the first time I’ve been able to speak on this.”
      I would never do this to my family. I would never do this to my supporters. Do you think I would do this to my dad?Conor Benn
      Conor refuses to believe there were any traces of the drug in his body and told Piers the test results could have been caused by “contamination” due to mistakes in the lab.
      He said: “I’m not saying that anyone in their labs deliberately did this. I’m not saying that at all, but it may be an accident, it may be an error.
      “Why are people saying I may have needed a testosterone boost? I’m 26 years old!
      “I didn’t even know what this thing was at the time.
      “I don’t accept it was in my body, not at all. Based on independent scientists looking at the reports, based on my own scientists looking at the reports and what we found.
      “People say you may have paid for the best legal team. Damn right I paid for the best legal team, damn right I paid for the best scientists — my career is on the line.
      “My image is on the line. My name is on the line and I can’t be known for this.”
      Conor’s team of experts submitted a 270-page dossier, which he says clears his name, to the WBC.
      Last month the WBC ruled that eating too many eggs could have produced the positive drug tests — but Conor has dismissed that theory.
      He is not giving his legal team’s file to the BBBofC, which has filed seven misconduct charges against him and has the power to ban him from fighting in the UK.
      ‘My name is on the line. I can’t be known for this’
      Conor said: “My dad tore up his British boxing licence on TV in the 80s.
      “I don’t have to be licensed by the board. I don’t plan on fighting in Britain any time soon.”
      And when Piers asked what was stopping him from handing over the dossier to the UK boxing authorities, the fighter said: “My pride, the way they have dealt with this.
      Conor, who believes cheats in contact sports should be banned for life, said: “I want this to be finished and I want to resume with my career.”
      He has has asked his promoter Eddie Hearn to find him the biggest fight possible.
      The boxer would love to take on Chris Eubank Jnr next — but before he does that, that he has to clear his name.
      As he told Piers: “I was born fighting, it’s in my blood.
      Read More on The Sun
      “But this is the hardest fight I’ve ever had to face.”

      Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored weekdays on TalkTV at 8pm. Available on Sky 522, Sky Glass 508, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217 as well as on DAB, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube, the Talk.TV website and TalkTV iOS and Android apps.

      You’re Not AloneEVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
      It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
      It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
      And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
      Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
      That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
      The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
      Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
      If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:

      CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
      Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
      Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
      Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
      Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
      Movember, www.uk.movember.com
      Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm More

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      in Boxing

      How Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae have become America’s favourite new reality TV couple – and will make MILLIONS stateside

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      MOST couples leaving Love Island find the only thing shorter than their new careers is their romance.Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague are the exception to the rule and are now set to break America, earning millions in the process as they cement their place as the Posh and Becks for the Instagram generation.
      Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury are poised to become a global power coupleCredit: Social Media
      Tommy poses with his belt after defeating Jake Paul in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Molly-Mae with new arrival, baby BambiCredit: Instagram
      Power couple Molly-Mae and Tommy’s earnings
      The power couple, both 23 years old, met on the ITV2 show in 2019 and were reportedly worth £7million before Tommy took to the boxing ring against Jake Paul on Sunday night.
      Now, thanks to his victory against the American YouTuber in Saudi Arabia earning him a fanbase beyond the UK, PR experts believe Tommy will only see his earning power grow, with the help of super-influencer Molly-Mae.

      The Manchester-born boxer is reportedly set to receive a £1.6million purse from his victory against Jake – as well as 35 per cent of the pay-per-view money, taking his earnings up to at least £3.7million for the fight.
      Experts have predicted he’ll earn £10million by 2025, and that both Molly-Mae and Tommy will use this exposure in the States to break America.
      Read More on Tommy Fury
      PR Expert Jack Cooper, from Ed Hopkins PR, told us: “In terms of Tommy’s career, this was a huge step for him not only in terms of boxing but overall exposure for his brand.
      “He could certainly now be commanding up to six figures for a multi platform campaign, depending on the brand.”
      Meanwhile, Molly-Mae is already the highest paid Love Island star of all time, earning £4.8m a year for her role as creative director for Pretty Little Thing as well as £2million more from sponsored posts and her fake tan Filter brand.
      And with the birth of their first child Bambi last month, she is already eyeing a move into the lucrative “mumfluencer” sphere.
      Most read in Boxing
      Of all the couples to meet on Love Island, it is these two who have managed to monetise their profiles so effectively.
      Savvy Molly-Mae, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, candidly described her decision to appear on the show as a “business move.”
      Already an established influencer before she entered the villa, she claimed that she wasn’t “bothered” if she found love or not.
      While she did end up falling for Tommy, and establishing one of the most enduring relationships to come out of the show, the couple only finished second.
      But her plan to boost her profile worked, and brands were queuing up to partner with her.
      The blonde star has spoken of how she shunned a £2million offer from a well-known high street brand because she didn’t wear their clothing, choosing to instead partner with Pretty Little Thing, the fast fashion giant.
      Two years later, they rewarded her loyalty by making her creative director.
      Ben Jeffries, CEO of Influencer, explained: “Influencer marketing is built on trust and authenticity, and it is incredibly transparent to followers when a brand partnership isn’t authentic.”
      Molly-Mae hammers home her “authenticity” with her enormously popular YouTube vlogs, in which she shares the details of her life, from driving to pick up Starbucks to going to the cinema with Tommy.
      Her most recent vlog, about the birth of baby Bambi, in which Molly-Mae reveals she pooed while giving birth, had 2.2million views.
      Tommy, who makes frequent appearences on Molly-Mae’s social channels, was a boxer before going into Love Island, although very much in the shadow of his heavyweight champion brother Tyson Fury.
      While brand work also poured in for him, Tommy chose to remain focused on sport but it has enabled him to reach an audience beyond the confines of UK reality TV.
      ‘Sexy, engaging couple’
      Culture expert Nick Ede agrees: “I think that Molly-Mae could really do well in the USA with Tommy by her side.
      “Her fabulous life is great fun and her social media is engaging.
      “Breaking the USA will always be hard for anyone.
      “But Molly-Mae and Tommy are a sexy, engaging couple.”
      Key to their success is that the couple see nearly everything in their life as content that can be monetised.
      Despite a terrifying break in at their Manchester apartment in 2021, in which thieves made off with £800,000 worth of items Molly had flaunted online, she wasn’t put off sharing the details of the Cheshire mansion she and Tommy bought last year.
      Her Instagram account Molly Maison documents the interior design and renovation of the £4million six-bedroom home, with the likes of England footballers Marcus Rashford, 25, and Jordan Pickford, 28, as neighbours.
      Announcing the beginning of her “new chapter” to her Instagram followers, she wrote: “I know a lot of you won’t have been expecting me to do a home account as I have become a lot more private about what I post of our home life.
      “However, having a home account is something that I have always dreamed of doing.”
      The account has 1.2million followers and opened up a new revenue stream from partnerships with home brands.
      And it seems the couple may have their eye on using daughter Bambi to earn even more dosh, too.
      The Sun has seen new documents filed to Companies House indicating she is undergoing a total overhaul of her portfolio, which will allow her to consider new brand opportunities.
      A source said: “Molly has top level advisers around her and is able to draw on their expertise.
      “She’s streamlining her businesses under the one name which will allow her to explore other avenues without setting up new firms.
      “It makes total sense as she begins to explore options around her new ‘mumpreneur’ image since she had Bambi.”
      Tommy and Molly met on ITV’s Love Island in 2019Credit: Rex
      Molly-Mae shows off her curves in a bikini in IbizaCredit: Instagram
      Tommy and Jake fight on Sunday nightCredit: Getty
      Champ and brother Tyson cheers Tommy’s winCredit: Enterprise
      Nick Ede believes the couple may have chosen their daughter’s unique name for strong branding.
      He said: “Her daughter’s name Bambi is brilliant and can be used from a brand point of view.
      “It’s fun and unique and also has a place in everyone’s childhood memories from the Disney film.”
      Nick predicts that Molly-Mae will follow in the footsteps of Towie’s Billie Faiers and Ferne McCann, as well as Loose Women panellist Stacey Solomon, by designing baby clothes for PrettyLittleThing.
      He said: “I can see Molly-Mae jumping on this bandwagon and appealing to her millions of fans by creating a baby-wear line.”
      Tommy faced online criticism throughout Molly-Mae’s pregnancy, as well as since Bambi was born, due to the fact he left his partner and new child in favour of training for his fight against Jake.
      In fact, he was so focused on beating Logan Paul’s brother that he moved out of their mansion and into a “hellhole” apartment.
      Before the fight, he told Sky Sports: “I’m in a training camp. I’m in bed nine o’clock every single night, I’m up 4.30/5am running. Solely focussed on this man.
      “One man is flying around the globe, coming here to do media stuff going here, there and everywhere and you’ve got one man that’s living in a hellhole.
      “I’ve moved out of my own house, I’m living in a little apartment, I’ve gone back to the dog mindset.”
      However, he proved his love for his daughter by wearing a jacket and shorts emblazoned with ‘Bambi’ when he entered the ring, while Molly-Mae sent supportive messages from home.
      Jack Cooper says the next move for Tommy should be to work with a “top-tier athletic brand” like Gymshark or MyProtein, and release a gymwear range for men.
      Breaking the USA will always be hard — they are more about talent there — but Molly-Mae and Tommy are a sexy, engaging couple.Nick Ede, culture expert
      He adds: “I’m sure the likes of Nike, Adidas are very much having internal talks.
      “I think this could be a huge move for him and could be a multi million pound deal.”
      But whatever happens for the couple, there’s no doubt they’re on their way to the big leagues, as they build Brand Hague-Fury.
      Read More on The Sun
      He finishes: “Together, as a couple, the opportunities are endless, from male and female clothing ranges, a homeware brand, to now even a baby brand.
      “With the status of online presence and combined following as well as winning over the nation and not making any wrong moves since leaving the villa, this power couple are definitely on their way to the rich list.” More

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      in Soccer

      I was UK’s first Wag & blew money like toilet paper – now I’m £500k in debt, says ex-glamour model Suzi Walker

      by

      AS Britain’s first Wag, she once enjoyed a lavish life of champagne, Gucci dresses and nights out with Victoria Beckham.Former model Suzi Walker admits she and her fellow England wives and girlfriends blew money like they were “getting through toilet paper”.
      Suzi Walker says she is now half a million in debt and has had to sell her possessionsCredit: Channel 4
      Suzi says her life changed when Ian Walker was called up into the England squad – the pair pictured at home in 1997Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      But today she tells how she has been forced to pawn thousands of pounds of cherished jewellery after ending up with £500,000 of debt.
      Suzi, 52 — former wife of Spurs goalie Ian Walker and ex-partner of former Crystal ­Palace boss Simon Jordan — told The Sun on Sunday: “Ending up around half a million in debt and not having the money I once had has changed me as a human being.
      “I now know more than ever what’s important in life.”
      The former Page 3 girl says a costly court case and chronic health ­problems have left her having to sell off belongings.
      READ MORE ON WAGS
      Suzi, who married businessman Mark Pitman in 2018, and now lives in Ashtead, Surrey, ­continued: “I pawned and sold everything I could just to keep going.
      “Last year it was the engagement ring Mark gave me, which broke my heart, and some diamond earrings and a ring that were gifts from him.
      And I also pawned a diamond tennis bracelet worth thousands that Simon gave me.
      Cristal champagne
      “They were sold for something ridiculous, a couple of thousand, but were worth so much more.
      Most read in Football
      “I can see people might think when I’ve had such wealthy partners that I’d always have money but I’ve never wanted to lean on anyone. I’ve never married for money.”
      Suzi, who divorced Ian in 2007 after he bedded a Las Vegas lap dancer, was threatened with repossession of her £950,000 house just last week because she owes £20,000.
      It is money she now doesn’t have.
      The debts racked up after she and financier Mark had to shell out more than £600,000 in legal fees two years ago, trying to recoup ­millions that he claimed a company owed him in work fees.
      She says they won the case in 2021 but have still not recouped the money.
      Suzi, the inspiration for the character Chardonnay in Noughties ITV drama Footballers’ Wives, also spent £60,000 on health bills fighting a chronic illness that went un- diagnosed for years and which she is still convinced will one day kill her.
      She said: “I knew I was dying, but I couldn’t get a ­diagnosis from my local hospital. I paid to get private tests.
      “I’ve been so ill that I’ve barely been able to look at the post.
      “I was ignoring calls from the mortgage company, and the house is in my name.
      “It’s about a year’s worth of ­payments — I owe over £20,000 — but I’ve been able to show them GP notes as proof of my ill health and now I have a little more time to find the money.
      “It’s amazing my electricity and other things haven’t been cut off.”
      Suzi married her current husband Mark Pitman in 2018Credit: Oliver Dixon
      Wags used to swap expensive watches and drank only the finest Cristal champagneCredit: Oliver Dixon
      It’s all a far cry from her Wag years in the 1990s and 2000s.
      She became pals with Coleen Rooney, Alex Gerrard and Victoria Beckham as they saw their husbands Wayne, Steven and David play for England.
      She said: “We enjoyed the finest of everything when it was Euro 96.
      “We had some amazing times and Coleen, Victoria and Alex were lovely. It was the Wag fairytale.
      “But we used to blow money like we were getting through toilet paper.
      “We’d spend thousands at Gucci and Prada, drank only the finest Cristal champagne.
      “Coleen, Alex and I loved swapping Jacob and Co watches for other styles or Cartier diamond-encrusted ones.
      “I can’t remember the prices but they were worth thousands and thousands.”
      When Suzi got engaged to Ian in 1994 he was playing for Tottenham and she was an aspiring model.
      They went on to have daughter Sophie, now 24.
      Suzi said: “We weren’t rich then. I bought the engagement ring for about 20 quid from the department store Allders.
      “We rented our TV. Our ­relationship was not about money.
      “But when Ian got into the England team it became a different life.
      “He bought me a beautiful, pear-shaped diamond — God knows how much that cost.
      “I didn’t think about money. I’d get blow-dries to my hair every week. I had Botox. I would spend thousands every month on clothes.
      “I had fake tan, I had my boobs made bigger, smaller, then bigger again — I can’t even remember how many I had but I think they cost about £8,000 each time.
      “We flew first-class. I’d spend thousands having floral arrangements in our house at Christmas.
      “Ian gave me these amazing Cartier love bangle bracelets which were worth at least £10,000. I had a tennis diamond ankle chain.
      “I’d have a personal shopper at Selfridges. It seems crazy but it is just the life you got used to.
      “A pal joked we’d change cars more times than he’d change his underwear.”
      Suzi describes Ian as a “wonderful” dad and is adamant she would never turn to him for cash, despite the situation she is in.
      She said: “When I divorced him I got about £800,000. I put that towards a new home and getting my daughter into the best school.
      “I never went after him financially for more because I’m just not one of those greedy money people.”
      Suzi fell for then Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan and share a daughter togetherCredit: Oliver Dixon
      Not long afterwards, in 2007, Suzi fell for an even wealthier man in Simon Jordan.
      She said: “Simon would spend £50,000 on fine wines.
      He had a limo driver who would take me to Dior. It was on a different level.
      “One night at the Grosvenor House Hotel he got me a vodka and tonic.
      Set in the ice in the drink was a diamond necklace. I was blown away.
      We were so in love and I knew he wanted a child.
      So my gift back to him was to present him with my contraceptive coil to say: ‘I am happy to try’.
      “Another time there was a new Range Rover waiting for me outside the Grosvenor.
      “One night we went for dinner and he really wanted me to have a starter. When it arrived there was a diamond bracelet on the plate.”
      ‘I think I’m going to die’
      The couple split in 2008 and Simon is paying maintenance for their daughter Cameron, now 15.
      Suzi has been plagued by ill health for years and nearly died giving birth to Sophie.
      Then she was diagnosed with ME, which she now believes was a misdiagnosis.
      Suzi has struggled with ill health in recent years and been in and out of hospitalCredit: Oliver Dixon
      She said: “I’ve had decades of ill health but I think the stress of the 2021 court case made it worse.
      “Last October my face swelled up so I was unrecognisable. I kept falling unconscious.
      “I was getting lesions and bruises all over my legs and knuckles. I called dozen of ­ambulances because I felt so ill.
      “They’d say it was mental heath problems. Even Mark didn’t believe I was physically ill at one point, which really hurt.
      “There was a point last year I said to my mum, ‘I think I’m going to die’. And I just didn’t want to live any more.”
      Finally, earlier this year at the private Levitas Clinic in Guildford, Surrey, tests revealed Suzi has a rare and chronic variant of Lyme disease — the bacterial infection caused by ticks — called babesiosis.
      She said: “Getting a diagnosis was such a relief and I am speaking out to try to help others who may feel in the same situation. It has been absolutely dreadful.”
      The condition has led to Suzi suffering a host of other illnesses, including meningitis, brain inflammation and discharge behind her eyes.
      She says: “The clinic has literally saved my life because I was put straight on to some very strong drugs to help reduce the inflammation in my brain and body, and I was on IV drips daily. I’ve no idea how it got this chronic.
      “I don’t remember being bitten by a tick but it may have been decades ago.
      “Lately I’ve felt worse and there is no cure. I feel so ill I said to my mum recently, ‘I’ll be amazed if I’m alive by the end of this year’.
      Read More on The Sun
      “I still feel unwell and the money worries don’t help. But if this has taught me anything, it’s that money isn’t the most important thing.
      “I don’t know what the future holds. I just want my health back.”
      Suzi has been forced to sell off her jewellery to attempt to pay off her debtsCredit: Oliver Dixon More

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      in Boxing

      I’ll smash Jake Paul for what he said about Molly-Mae – this fight is personal, says Tommy Fury

      by

      AS major boxing grudge matches go they don’t get much bigger – or unlikely – than the upcoming fight between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul.The Love Island star and the US YouTuber will finally meet in the ring after years of trading verbal blows, and two postponements, in the most eagerly-anticipated bout of 2023.
      The upcoming fight between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul is finally happening after years of trading verbal blowsCredit: Rex
      23-year-old Tommy is pumped up for the fight against the US YoutuberCredit: AFP
      Tommy Fury said of Jake ‘He’s absolutely rubbish, I’ve been in boxing all my life. He can’t fight’Credit: Getty
      To say 23-year-old Tommy is pumped up for the fight is an understatement, thanks in no small part to Jake, 26, ruining his rival’s baby announcement and branding Tommy’s influencer fiancée Molly-May Hague the couple’s “breadwinner”.
      Ahead of the fight at the Diriyah Arena, Tommy left those in Saudi Arabia in no doubt of his determination to exact a bitter revenge on rival Jake for his barbed comments about Molly-Mae.
      As one insider at the build-up in Riyadh said: “Tommy says he wants to get revenge, and he won’t feel like he’s got it until he has knocked him clean out.
      “He’s angry, and he means every word — they’re not empty threats. This is personal.”
      READ MORE ON TOMMY FURY
      Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Tommy said: “He can say what he wants because talking is his game. Fighting is mine.
      “On Sunday night, it is not about who can talk the best. It is about who can fight the best. He’s absolutely rubbish.
      ‘Jake can’t fight’
      “I’ve been in boxing all my life. He can’t fight.
      “Jake Paul, he is what he is. He’s a white-collar boxer.
      Most read in Boxing
      “He’s going in there with somebody who wants to take his head clean off with every shot and he’s going to be dealing with everything that comes with a boxer.
      “He’s not dealt with that before and it’s a big jump.”
      Never before has there been a buzz this big around a fight between two such inexperienced boxers, who have just 14 official fights between them.
      The bout is expected to break pay-per-view records, which will handsomely top up their fight fees — which are believed to be around £4million between them.
      So for the fans tuning in to watch or listening for free on talkSPORT, how much action does Tommy think they will actually get to witness?
      “Tommy TNT Fury wins the fight. 9-0. Here we come,” he predicts.
      “It will be very, very lucky for him if he escapes the fourth round. Don’t be surprised if he goes in one or two.
      “Whenever I hit this guy, it’ll be over.”
      Jake, 26, ruined his rival’s baby announcement and branded Tommy’s influencer girlfriend Molly-May Hague the couple’s ‘breadwinner’
      It will be hard to see the reality TV star, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, taken seriously in the sport, should the bout end in defeatCredit: Social Media
      It will be hard to see the reality TV star, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, taken seriously in the sport, should the bout end in defeat — especially as he put his boxing career on hold in 2019 to appear on Love Island, where he met his other half.
      Even his own family have joked they’ll disown him if he loses.
      Tyson said: “I expect Tommy to chin him. If he doesn’t, he can stay in Saudi Arabia.”
      A defeat for Jake, meanwhile, is unlikely to derail his career.
      Many experts believe he will just reinvent himself in another sport, having previously dabbled with Mixed Martial Arts and even featured in WWE wrestling, while his promotions firm continues to go from strength to strength.
      But despite having only previously fought six fights, all of them with non-professional boxers such as retired NBA star Nate Robinson, Jake is the bookies’ favourite to win in what they predict will be an incredibly tight contest.
      And he also has the extra incentive of being awarded a ranking in the sport, should he win.
      Former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson has tipped him to do just that, saying anyone who disrespects Jake “is out of their minds”.
      Speaking to talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver, Iron Mike, 56, said: “He’s won against people that he shouldn’t beat. And listen, I don’t think they brought him here to lose.
      “He makes more money than the champions of boxing. So he’s an enigma.”
      Another boxing great, Floyd Mayweather, said: “It’s good that Jake Paul is able to take his social media following and get some new eyes on the sport of boxing.
      “And it’s a good match-up with those two. May the best man win.”
      Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr, is expected to be among the 15,000 fans in the Diriyah Arena, while A-listers including US comedian Kevin Hart and superstar rappers Drake and Kanye West are also tipped to attend.
      It is yet to be confirmed if Tommy’s fiancée Molly-Mae will be joining the rest of the Fury clan in the Middle East, given she only gave birth to the couple’s daughter Bambi last month — which Jake informed the world about days before they did, much to their annoyance.
      During his pre-match trash talking, Jake claimed Tommy was forced into taking on the fight for a much-needed payday.
      The American said: “Molly is probably sitting there going, ‘Yo, I just had a baby — I can’t be the one to pay the bills the entire time’.
      “He is going to be paid 20k a fight, minus taxes. He can only pay for so many diapers. It’s a hard business.”
      Jake is so confident of a victory he even offered to change the terms of the bout during a pre-fight press conference, turning it into a winner-takes-all contest.
      He has been in Saudi Arabia for weeks on his training camp, which has been compared to some of the Rocky movies after he was filmed jogging alongside locals on the street. And speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV on Thursday night, Jake was supremely confident his preparation will help him get the edge over his long-time rival.
      Asked if he has “any doubt” the fight will end in anything other than victory, he replied: “No, I don’t. I’m confident in my preparation.
      “Anything can happen in a boxing match but you work to make those things not happen. He just doesn’t have the power, the capabilities, to do anything to be able to defeat me.
      Read More on The Sun
      “You’re going to see me knock this guy out.”
      Whatever the outcome, the world will be watching.
      It is yet to be confirmed if Molly-Mae will be joining the rest of the Fury clan in the Middle EastCredit: Rex
      She only gave birth to the couple’s daughter Bambi last monthCredit: Instagram
      Jake sends Tommy warning ahead of fightCredit: Twitter @MostVpromotions More

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      in Soccer

      How John Motson became the voice of football after a muddy afternoon at Hereford changed his life forever

      by

      BRITISH football lost its voice yesterday when legendary commentator John Motson died aged 77.For half a century, “Motty” and his sheepskin coat brought the beautiful game to life with his infectious enthusiasm, unmatchable statistics and iconic tones.
      British football lost its voice yesterday when legendary commentator John Motson died aged 77Credit: PA
      Motson takes the mic at Old Trafford in his first season of 1971/72
      And in his final season for the BBC at Arsenal in 2021Credit: Getty
      The former BBC broadcaster was behind the microphone for more than 2,000 games, including 29 FA Cup Finals, and covering ten World Cups and ten Euros.
      Last night tributes poured in from across the world to the commentator Piers Morgan hailed as the G.O.A.T — greatest of all time.
      Match of the Day host Gary Lineker called him “brilliant” and “the voice of football in this country for generations”. Ex-England star Alan Shearer wrote: “RIP Motty. An incredible career. The voice.”
      Prince William added: “Very sad to hear about the passing of John Motson — a legend whose voice was football. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
      READ MORE ON JOHN MOTSON
      Motson’s success was down to preparation as much as perspiration in that heavy jacket, with wife Anne helping him collate information on players and games.
      They did not use a computer — preferring instead to draw on their own archive of press clippings, and Motson’s laser focus for detail produced many memorable moments.
      Before his first FA Cup Final in 1977, he walked up the Wembley steps to where the trophy would be collected and counted 39.
      Then, when Man United’s winning captain Martin Buchan strode up, Motson delivered a killer reference to John Buchan’s classic novel. He said to the millions at home: “How appropriate that a man called Buchan should be the first to climb the 39 steps to the Royal Box.”
      Most read in Football
      However he may never have been there at all if not for a muddy FA Cup Third Round replay at non-league Hereford United against mighty Newcastle in 1972.
      When Ronnie Radford hit a late 30-yard screamer to equalise, an excitable Motson screamed into the mic: “Oh, what a goal! What a goal! Radford the scorer, Ronnie Radford, and the crowd, the crowd are invading the pitch and it will take some time to clear the field.”
      Having captured the moment so perfectly, Motson would no longer be a junior commentator.
      He later said: “I was on trial at Match of the Day for a year and I got given this game, and then Ronnie changed everything.
      “He changed his life, my life, the history of the FA Cup with a goal that came out of nowhere.”
      Born in Salford, Motson moved around the country as his Methodist minister dad William went from post to post.
      His first taste of football came in London aged seven when he watched Chelsea play at Charlton Athletic, near where he then lived.
      He was instantly hooked and became a Chelsea fan, although he later pretended to support Barnet to avoid accusations of bias. 
      Motson’s first job was on a local paper in Barnet, North London, in 1963, before moving to the Sheffield Morning Telegraph four years later.
      On reading his work, one cruel editor suggested he try broadcasting instead. He joined the BBC in 1968 — but it was not until Radford’s rocket that his own career took off. It landed him a three-year contract, covering a range of sports.
      In 1974 he co-commentated with heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali on a Joe Bugner fight in London. He tried to hand the mic to Ali only to discover he had vanished.
      Motson recalled: “He was in the ring trying to box Bugner.”
      Reporting on Wimbledon tennis in 1981 he landed an impromptu interview with actor Jack Nicholson. When Motson got a message in his ear from the studio demanding the tennis latest, Jack said in his scary Shining voice: “Just give ’em the score, Johnnnyy.” 
      But it is football for which Motson will be forever remembered. 
      A huge factor in his success was Anne, who he married in 1976. She kept a log detailing all his games.
      Motson said: “My research is based mainly on my wife’s wonderful record book which she keeps dutifully and diligently every day of the season with all the teams, matches, appearances, goalscorers, newspaper cuttings, you name it.”
      However Motson was not immune to the odd blunder. He once said: “Brazil — they’re so good it’s like they’re running round the pitch playing with themselves.” 
      In the 1990s his rival Barry Davies got two FA Cup Finals so the perfectionist felt he had to raise his game. Motson, awarded an OBE in 2001, said: “You felt that if you dropped a clanger you might be out of work. I would have sleepless nights sweating on getting it right. 
      “There were recriminations if something went wrong, naked fury.”
      Getting his MBE with wife Anne who helped him collate information on players and gamesCredit: PA:Press Association
      John in the hot seat during the 1986 World Cup finals in MexicoCredit: Getty
      It started at a muddy FA Cup Third Round replay at non-league Hereford United against mighty Newcastle in 1972Credit: PA
      The affable Motson also had to face occasional bouts of rage from angry managers. Then-Man United boss Alex Ferguson, who had been a good pal, snarled at him in 1995: “You’ve no right to ask me that question, John. You’re out of order.” 
      All he did was ask if Roy Keane would be punished for being sent off for the third time in 14 games.
      His toughest career moment was in 1989 commenting at the FA Cup semi between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at Hillsborough. His son Fred said the disaster, where 96 fans were killed, “was really something that weighed on him”.
       Motson’s last day at the BBC came at Crystal Palace’s 2-0 home win against West Brom in 2018. Palace’s then-boss Roy Hodgson presented him with a framed copy of the programmes from his first and last matches. 
      He then joined TalkSport radio soon after and was awarded a Bafta that year to mark his contribution to broadcasting. 
      He and his wife, who lived in a village near Milton Keynes, both had major health scares.
      First Anne beat breast cancer and then ten years later in 2014 her husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Motson said: “I knew what courage she showed in the operation. I thought to myself, ‘Come on, keep yourself together and don’t make too much fuss.’ 
      “I was trying to be nearly as brave as she was.” 
      His family said yesterday: “It is with great sadness that we announce that John Motson OBE died peacefully in his sleep today.” 
      Huge rounds of applause are sure to ring out at grounds around the country tomorrow. As the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said: “John had the right words, at the right time, for all the big moments.” 
      grant.rollings@thesun.co.uk
      ‘HE SET STANDARD’By NICK PARKER
      FELLOW commentators and pundits paid tribute to Motty yesterday.
      Sky’s Martin Tyler said: “John was the standard-setter for us all. 
      “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.”
      Clive Tyldesley said: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson. Nobody else.” BT Sport’s Darren Fletcher posted: “An iconic commentator with his own distinctive and brilliant style.
      “The soundtrack to my youth watching football #RIPMotty.”
      BT Sport and ESPN commentator Ian Darke said: “Probably the most famous football commentator of them all. Meticulously researched and retaining boyish enthusiasm and love of the game over half a century of the biggest games — he set the gold standard.”
      Ex-Blackburn forward and pundit Chris Sutton said: “He was a legendary figure in the commentary box and will be sorely missed. 
      “Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

      Classic lines of icon
      ONE of Motty’s most famous quotes was a joke, not a gaffe.
      Commentating on a Tottenham game he said: “For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip”.
      It was a nod to Ted Lowe’s snooker line: “For those of you watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green.”
      Some of his other lines include: 
      “Villa . . . and still Ricky Villa! What a fantastic run! He’s scored!” — on the Argentine’s mazy winner for Spurs in the 1981 FA Cup Final replay.
      The ‘crazy gang’ of Wimbledon got the Motto treatment as they beat the stars of Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup finalCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      “And there it is, the Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club!” — when no-hopers Wimbledon beat the stars of Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final.
      “It’s there by David Platt. England have done it in the last minute of extra-time. England are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup and Bobby Robson is ecstatic!” — late drama at the Italia 90 World Cup.
      “Oh dear, oh dear me . . . here is a moment that almost brings tears to his eyes” — on Paul Gascoigne after his booking against West Germany would rule him out of the final at Italia 90.
      Paul Gascoigne was hailed by Motson after his famous volleyed goal against Scotland at Euro 1996Credit: PA:Press Association
      “Here’s Gascoigne . . oh brilliant, oh yes!” — Gazza’s famous volley against Scotland in Euro 96.
      “Ohhh, this is getting better and better and better. One, two, three for Michael Owen!” — Owen gets his hat-trick in England’s 5-1 win over Germany in Munich 2001.
      David Beckham sends England to the 2002 World CupCredit: Allsport – Getty
      “Beckham . . . Yes! He’s done it!” — David Beckham’s brilliant last-gasp free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford in 2001 sends England to the 2002 World Cup.
      “Hold the cups and glasses at home . . . you can smash them now!” Beckham’s penalty beats Argentina at the 2002 World Cup in Japan, broadcast at breakfast time in the UK.
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      “Gerrard! He’s done it! Oh Steven Gerrard!” — injury-time thunderbolt for Liverpool against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final.
      “And the referee has gone across now with his hand in his pocket. He’s been told about it. He’s off, it’s red, it’s Zidane! You can’t excuse that   —   Zidane’s career ends in disgrace!” — Zinedine Zidane’s sending-off for France after a headbutt in the 2006 World Cup Final against Italy. More