Motson said: "My way into the job was through local newspapers. In the 1960s I worked on a weekly paper in Hertfordshire called the Barnet Press. After I got an apprenticeship there I went to the Morning Telegraph in Sheffield.
"Fortunately for me, the BBC decided in 1968 to launch what they called 'an experiment', which was local radio. One of the first stations to open was in Sheffield and I was pulled in to do radio reporting - and that led to a job on the old Radio 2 and then Match of the Day.
"I was very fortunate to be in the right place in the right time."
Best John Motson quotes
"The World Cup is a truly international event."
"The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club." – Said when Wimbledon beat Liverpool in 1988 to win the FA Cup
Motson's commentary for Beckham's famous free-kick against Greece
“For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip.”
“Brazil – they’re so good it’s like they are running around the pitch playing with themselves.”
“Arsene Wenger has got to unlock the purse strings.”
Who does John Motson support?
Motson is a fan of a League Two team.
The legendary commentator supports Barnet, currently managed by Graham Westley.
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In a Daily Mail interview, Motson said: "I’m a long-time Barnet FC fan.
"My first job in journalism was on the weekly Barnet Press and they play only half an hour’s drive from where I now live.
"My son Fred got me this set of Russian-style dolls, painted in Barnet’s colours, after spotting them in a shop in Prague, of all places."