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John Motson has finally decided to hang up his microphone.

After 50 years of commentating, the man who became the voice of Match of the Day has announced that he will call time on his BBC career at the end of this season.

At the ripe old age of 72, 'Motty' has covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, 29 FA Cup finals and more than 200 England games.

During each and every one of those matches, Motson - the original 'Statto' - has usually shared at least one remarkable, bizarre obscure stat with the viewers.

If you've ever wondered how he keeps all those facts stored in his head, we now have the answer. It’s because he doesn't.

(Image: Getty Images)

At every game he’s done since the year dot, Motty has had an A4 piece of card with all the information he needs to commentate on a match.

There’s no high-tech preparation for the man who’s been the best in the business for more than 30 years – his wife buys the bits of card and felt pens in bulk, and John sticks to the exact same system of notes for every game.

Here's an example:

(Image: knights.co.uk)

“I keep a few of them in a pile,” he says, “and when charities ask me for personal mementos, I’ll sign one and send it off – it’s nice to know it can raise £200 for a good cause.”

Here's how he explains his scrawlings…

Colour coding

“It’s not specifically colour-coded, although I do the numbers in green because no team wears green. The different colours are so each bit of information stands out.

"That’s also why I always do the facts on the back of the board in blue, black, green and red. When the game is going on, it’s pretty rare that I look down at the board, but if I do, I need the information to hit me pretty quickly.”

(Image: Gary M. Prior)

Star names

“A star by a player's name means he’s never scored for the club, so I’m ready if it happens!”

Lining up linesmen

“You always have to check which side of the ground the two referee's assistants are on – if one of them makes a key offside decision, you have to know their name.”

Team tinkering

“I write all this out before the game, with what I think the team will be. Quite often you get to the ground, and there’s a late team change – if a player I thought would play in this game isn't in the team, I use a sticker to take his name out.”

(Image: PA)

Live updates - by pen

“I updates the notes during the game too – the Y/C mark stands for yellow card. The ON/OFF obviously means a player has been taken off or come on, but I often find I don’t have time to write that down – the broadcast is often too quick for me to keep up!

"If all possible subs are made (three by each side), that’s 12 names I have to change. At the end of a game, that’s quite a test of my concentration!”