BBC commentator Guy Mowbray on capturing the mood of the nation and narrating England’s fortunes… as an estimated 30 million fans prepare to tune to the Euro 2024 final

Guy Mowbray sits down in a Berlin café and recalls our meeting on the night England limped to victory over Serbia in their first match of the tournament. Put simply, it wasn’t the most optimistic conversation about England’s performance in Gelsenkirchen, but the BBC’s chief commentator remembers his own words from the end of that match.

‘I hope they (the BBC) include it in the edit for the final,’ he says. ‘I tried to rationalise the performance and said, “Teams that win tournaments tend to grow into tournaments.” I don’t usually remember this sort of thing but I hope it ages well.’

This phrase was used by the official England team in a promotional video documenting the Three Lions’ journey to the final.

Just four days after the match against Serbia, Mowbray concluded England’s 1-1 draw with Denmark with: ‘My goodness, that was a bit of a shock at times.’

In short, it sums up the mood of the country at the time. And now England are on the verge of breaking their 58-year tournament drought after a remarkable knockout run.

Mowbray said the phrase ‘Teams that win tournaments often grow into tournaments’ after the Three Lions beat Serbia 1-0 in the opening match of Euro 2024

The BBC commentator made good on his promise to buy Alan Shearer (left) a beer after the co-commentator expressed his frustration following England’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark

“It shows how much English football has evolved under Gareth Southgate,” Mowbray said. “When I was growing up, countries like Italy and Germany always found a way to get deep in tournaments. Then you look at Greece in 2004 and Portugal in 2016. I understand the initial criticism of Gareth (Southgate) but you only have to look at his numbers.”

The role of regular man for England matches for the BBC is a responsible one that Mowbray has held since succeeding John Motson as chief commentator in 2010. The 52-year-old commentator has commentated on almost 1,400 matches in his 20 years with the BBC.

On Sunday night, when Gary Lineker gives him the floor, Mowbray’s voice will tell the story for millions of people across the country.

“I never prepare a script, but the pressure is always there. I always have that panicky feeling in the morning when I’m showering or walking the dog. I use a Word template for my notes that is way too detailed, and I take a portable printer with me everywhere we go. Alan Shearer always yells ‘Printer!’ before we leave because I always leave it on,” he says.

Mowbray and Shearer will provide commentary for the Euro 2024 final for the BBC, while Sam Matterface will be joined by Lee Dixon and Ally McCoist for ITV.

“I speak to Sam a lot. It’s nice and quite cathartic for both of us,” Mowbray reveals. “There’s only two of us who have experience of England on TV at a major tournament, so it’s nice to bounce it off each other. It’s the best job in the world, but we both know what the other is going through,” Mowbray adds.

England have not reached a final between 1966 and 2021, but it will be the second time in three years for the pair. For Mowbray, who grew up in York and dropped out of Bradford University to study business in 1991, it is the closest he has come to realising his dream of becoming a player himself. His late father told him he could get paid to watch football, which sparked a light bulb to become a commentator.

“If I wasn’t commentating I would move heaven and earth to be here. Before a game I use my binoculars to read the flags on the pitch. I’ll do that on Sunday too. I don’t think there’s a club in the top eight that isn’t represented. That’s what it’s all about, following your country and Gareth is a big part of that unity on and off the pitch,” he says.

Mowbray said it was “healing” to speak to ITV’s Sam Matterface, the only other commentator to have covered England on television during the tournament.

The BBC commentator highlighted the celebrations for Ollie Watkins’ match-winning goal against the Netherlands, noting that we are ‘lucky’ to see England in the final stages

Mowbray highlighted the unity Gareth Southgate forged both on and off the pitch

‘You only have to look at the scenes when Ollie Watkins scored. I saw a clip before I came here of England v Scotland in the 1975 British Home Championship and thought, how have we not won a trophy with players like Kevin Keegan and Alan Ball? Let alone win one, we didn’t even qualify for all four tournaments between 1972 and 1978. You also have to think about 1984, 1994 and 2008. We are really lucky to be in this.’

And so when Mowbray steps onto the gantry crane and takes his place in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Sunday evening, he does so as a voice for the estimated 30 million viewers and as an England fan.

‘Millions of people will be watching, but because I can’t see them I’m trying to deal with it,’ he says. ‘People think the media don’t want England to win, but I always think back to when we lost to Iceland at Euro 2016. The atmosphere in the media tent afterwards was so bad. We all want them to do well and win.’

Does he have a plan ready for when football comes home?

‘No,’ he says. ‘I’ve got a skeleton of notes of things I can’t miss, but look at the way we’ve run home in every knockout round. What comes out, comes out. The best commentary line ever was from Kenneth Wolstenholme in 1966: “They think it’s over… it’s over now.” The timing was perfect.’

What would it mean to him if England beat Spain?

“I might as well cry now and let it out,” he says. “It would be the best thing ever and I think it’s the warm-up act for the next two years.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF EURO 2024?

Both Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins goals from an English perspective, just for the feeling, but that Arda Guler goal against Georgia was something else. I was right behind him and I will never forget the noise in that stadium that day. My goodness. And I was 19 years old too.

I told Sam Matterface before Turkey’s next game against Portugal to take off his headset for their anthem because, to be honest, my chest was sticking out. It was so loud.

Mowbray cited Arda Guler’s goal and the Turkish celebrations against Georgia as highlights