Ray Hudson, the bombastic broadcaster whose poetic calls transformed soccer into theater for American audiences, is stepping away from the microphone. The longtime analyst and host, known for his ecstatic descriptions of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, announced his retirement.
“It is the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my professional life,” Hudson said during his SiriusXM morning show Tuesday. “Walking away from something that you love so much is heartbreaking. But I know this is the right thing for Joan (his wife) and I. The time to step away is now.”
Hudson, 70, has been a fixture in American soccer for nearly five decades, first arriving in the United States in 1977 as a 21-year-old midfielder on loan from Newcastle United. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League. Later, he coached MLS sides Miami Fusion and D.C. United before moving full-time into broadcasting.
It was in the booth where Hudson became a cult figure. His wild metaphors, delivered with charm, drew national attention. Whether on GolTV, beIN Sports, or most recently CBS Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League, Hudson made the beautiful game sound operatic.
The broadcaster’s final matches came during this spring’s Barcelona-Inter Milan semifinal, which saw Inter win 7-6 on aggregate. For Hudson, it was the perfect curtain call.
“Walking away from the game after those two unbearable classic games and everything they encompassed, I thought, how can you leave this?” Hudson said. “But then I thought, what better time to close the curtains, because nothing is going to beat those games in my eyes.”
Perhaps no player fueled his imagination more than Messi. Hudson often described the Argentine as a muse, stretching the English language to capture his artistry. “I couldn’t do it with just ‘that was brilliant,’” Hudson said. “Messi was bewildering and you had to try to verbalize pure magic.”
Fans came to expect lines like, “Cristiano awakens his sleeping sword of destruction — and it is Excalibur!” or “Dembele a gazelle being tracked down by a cheetah.” To Hudson, the phrases weren’t a gimmick, just instinct. “It wasn’t a shtick,” he said. “There was no rehearsed methodology. It was just me.”
For the millions who heard Hudson’s calls over the years, that sentiment rings true.
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