Ray Hudson, the man who turned soccer broadcasting in the U.S. into his own bombastic, energetic and poetic playground, announced he’s retiring at age 70.

After a 23-year career broadcasting games for GolTV, beIN Sports and CBS Sports, plus hosting soccer coverage on SiriusXM, the charismatic Hudson has decided to step away from the microphone.

“Very sad; today I retire from CBS Sports and SiriusXM,” Hudson said on X. “Thank you all for sharing so many magesteeerial memories, wherein the beautiful game and players, beguiled and bewildered us. Sincere thanks to everyone I worked with; you inspired me.”

“To everyone out there, I love you and I’ll miss you.”

The Gateshead, England native landed on U.S. soil during his playing days in 1977, joining the North American Soccer League on loan from Newcastle United. Hudson would go on to finish his career as a player in the U.S., before becoming a manager in the early days of MLS.

He then transitioned to the broadcasting booth, where he became an iconic voice thanks to his energetic and loud style based on quick-wit and otherworldly references, metaphors and similes. A style that simply can’t be replicated.

Hudson painted most of his masterpieces during his time commentating La Liga for beIN Sports. During the peak of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s powers, Hudson provided the soundtrack for two of the greatest players ever.

Some of his best lines include:

  • “Braver than a matador in high-heels and a pink tutu he was.”
  • “Giving Cristiano [Ronaldo] that much space is like giving Dracula the keys to a blood bank.”
  • “Astonishing Messi. You could drop a tarantula down his shorts and he’d still be super cool.”
  • “He’s absolutely Shakespearean, the Shakespeare got it wrong. It wasn’t King Lear, it’s King Leo!”

Messi was Hudson’s favorite, but he went into every game with a blank canvas ready to paint with words the emotions of a sport he so clearly felt, lived and breathed so passionately for.

The 2024–25 Champions League semifinals between Barcelona and Inter Milan was the last time Hudson added color to a game. It’s fitting that arguably the greatest semifinals tie in European competition history is his final act.

So ends the career of a broadcasting icon. Unquestionably, a magisterial career.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Legendary La Liga Announcer Ray Hudson Announces Retirement.

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