Martin Tyler: sports commentator on the Euro 24 football final in Berlin

The Euro 2024 football final has kicked off in Berlin.

Three-time champions and favourites Spain face England, who are seeking a first major tournament win since the 1966 World Cup.

Sports commentator Martin Tyler explains what to expect from the match.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a voice you'll recognize.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Well, come to much just united. Yes for England, David
Beckham has done it big time.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Yes, Martin Tyler on the stands. Today it's Spain take
on England at the Euro Finals in Germany. Martin Tyler,
willis morning.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
And a good evening from Berlin.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Not far to go. How you're feeling. You're full of vermin,
vigor and excitement and expectation, all.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Of those things, but mostly because it's a really important
football match.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
My whole life has been spent.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
I've been blessed to be able to come to these
games and be part of them. And clearly it's slightly
different when your own country is involved. But it's the
game that I really care about and I hope the
final lives up to the potentially. Certainly, Spain have been
terrific and England have got better and have match winners,
so I think it's a tough one to call, and

(00:58):
obviously it's a professional.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
I want the better team to win. As an Englishman,
you know my answer.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Stree of it all that we all know how important
does a victory today? What would it mean to England?

Speaker 3 (01:12):
I think a defeat would mean a real crashing setback
because we've started to build a team that's come very close,
as you know, runners up on a penalty shootout back
three years ago, the euro delayed Euro twenty twenty, you know,
getting to a World Cup semi final and coming so
close to getting into the final, missing a penalty in

(01:33):
the last World Cup when England looked like they might
actually get the better of the team that went on
to get to the final, France. So I think in
the end it might be one defeat too many. I
think it would be a crushing blow. But you know,
the nation's really got behind England as they've improved as
the tournament's gone on, and there was a lot of
I'm surely whether there was a lot of nitpicking in

(01:54):
the early games, but the one thing one knit they
couldn't pick was the word wi n. I kept on
producing progress and here they are underdogs, which will suit
the English mentality and hopefully ready for a challenge that
will It sounds a bit of an exaggeration, but having
spent most of my life sort of worshiping the Boys

(02:16):
of sixty six, the World Cup winners, who still remain
the only team to won a major tournament for England.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
They would make.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Themselves pretty immortal, certainly in sporting terms, if they can
get the result.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Here, explain the Southgate factor. Why do we love them?
Why do we hate them? Why is he such a thing?

Speaker 3 (02:34):
But personally, yeah, he's a top bloke and I've done
him a long time since he was a young player.
So you're talking about professionally where professionally he's hugely admired
for what he's done for English football. That he took
over in a bit of a mess when the previous
manager was demoted in truth some aladas after just one game.

(02:57):
It was an off the field incident. It was very
tough then and Garrison worlded it all together. He's produced results,
he's produced a very good behavior from the players, that
the national team is now loved by the country, which
there were times when it wasn't, where it was seen
as a group of underachievers.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
So he's pulled everything together.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
But the silverware and this might be his last game,
you know, either way, it might be his last game
and I think probably only when he's left the post
people will realize what a wonderful job he's done. It's
very competitive world football, and I know this isn't the
World Cup, but the European nations at the dominant force

(03:40):
in the world game. And some South American listeners won't
like me say that, but the by lives they are,
and I do think that it's time for you.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Fifty eight years a long time. But it's one game.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
We can talk about all the build up, all the history,
but the truth of the matter is it's one game
which starts in a couple of hours time, and it's
what happens here on the night in a stadium incidenta
where England have never lost. I don't know whether that's
an omen or not. Spain, of course, I've had a
wonderful run of wins in the tournament, a better progress

(04:13):
than finally you would say that England. But it starts
again and it's about temperament as well as talent, and
we'll see, we'll see. It's got to be decided on
the field. I hope it doesn't go to penalties. That's
always a little bit of thorn in the side of
England or though they've won a penalty shoot out in this
tournament and are much better at it, much more practiced
at it, but the country wants to win but really

(04:36):
wants to win where they're not a man, sure they
cease they have been for most of the knockout game.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
In the loss of Martin, you enjoyed kickoffs not far
Away Martin Tyler, one of the great so former Sky
Sports UK commentators.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
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