CBS adds Carragher, Gullit and Schmeichel to soccer coverage

CBS adds Jamie Carragher and other major soccer names to an already stellar lineup for Champions League coverage.

Analysts Roberto Martinez, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards and host Kate Abdo have joined CBS Sports to lead its pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League tournaments in August across multiple ViacomCBS platforms, with every match on CBS All Access and select matches on CBS Sports Network.

Peter Schmeichel and Alex Scott will provide analysis both in studio and on-site from Portugal. Ruud Gullit will serve as the lead studio analyst for UEFA Europa League coverage and as a contributor for UEFA Champions League.

Watch live coverage of every round, including every game of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League on CBS All Access. New to CBS All Access? Get your 7-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Veteran announcers Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury will handle play-by-play duties for 10 matches, including the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final as well as the UEFA Europa League Final, with each working five matches and calling the action off the UEFA world feed from IMG Studios near London. Tyldesley will call the UEFA Champions League Final with Drury handling the UEFA Europa League Final.

CBS adds Jamie Carragher

“This is an incredible opportunity to showcase the best club soccer in the world, so it was important to bring in credible, knowledgeable and likable personalities for soccer fans everywhere,” said Pete Radovich, Coordinating Producer of UEFA, CBS Sports. “We are thrilled to have multiple UEFA Champions League winners, iconic former players and the manager of the FIFA No. 1 ranked national team in the world. Their experiences around the sport at the highest levels of competition along with their diverse backgrounds give us a great mix, and we are excited to have this unbelievable group headlining our coverage.”

READ MORE: Schedule of UEFA Champions League on US TV and streaming

CBS Sports’ UEFA studio shows will be produced from IMG Studios near London with Abdo hosting the main desk for UEFA Champions League alongside analysts Martinez, Carragher and Richards. Schmeichel and Scott will be in studio for the remaining UEFA Champions League Round of 16 matches and then will provide analysis from Portugal for the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final. Gullit will be the lead analyst from the studio for UEFA Europa League and a contributor for UEFA Champions League.

The rest of the team

Additional announcers and reporters for CBS Sports’ presentation of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League will be added at a later date.

Coverage will begin in August with the remaining Round of 16 matches for the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, followed by the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final in a straight knockout tournament, and will span multiple ViacomCBS platforms, including every match on CBS All Access and select matches on CBS Sports Network.

Radovich, CBS Sports’ Senior Creative Director, will be the Coordinating Producer for UEFA coverage. He is a 37-time Emmy Award winner, including two “Outstanding Studio Show” wins for Inside The NFL where he has served as the Coordinating Producer for the past 12 years. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Senior Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

SEE MORE: Watch the UEFA Champions League for free with CBS All Access one-month trial

ABOUT THE ANNOUNCERS:

KATE ABDO

Abdo brings a wealth of experience covering international soccer’s top events, including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cup, the English Premier League, England’s FA Cup, Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga. She has also hosted some of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in world sports, including the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

JAMIE CARRAGHER

A Liverpool legend, Carragher’s career was highlighted by the Reds winning the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League and being named Liverpool’s Player of the Season in 2005. He also represented England at the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship. He has been an analyst with Sky Sports since 2013 and has also worked for TV3 Sport covering the UEFA Champions League.

PETER DRURY

Drury has called play-by-play for many of soccer’s marquee events, including the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League. He was with ITV Sport from 1998-2013 before joining BT Sport.

RUUD GULLIT

Gullit is considered one of the greatest players of all time and won two UEFA Champions League titles with AC Milan. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or as world player of the year in 1987 and was the runner-up in 1988. Gullit captained the Netherlands to the 1998 UEFA European Football Championship title and also served as captain for the Oranje at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He has worked as an analyst for Sky Sports, ITV, ESPN, BBC and BeIN SPORTS.

ROBERTO MARTINEZ

The current manager of Belgium, the No. 1 ranked team in the FIFA world rankings, Martinez led the Red Devils to a third-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the country’s best-ever result. Martinez, who led Wigan to an historic 2013 FA Cup triumph, brings insight and analysis from his experience as both a player and coach. He has served as a studio analyst for many of soccer’s marquee events, including the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship.

MICAH RICHARDS

Richards spent most of his playing career with Manchester City, winning a Premier League title and an FA Cup during his 10 seasons with the club. He also played for the English national team and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. Richards retired from playing in 2019 and serves as an analyst for BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

PETER SCHMEICHEL

Schmeichel is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, leading Manchester United to victory in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final and winning the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship with Denmark. He has served as both a studio analyst and host having previously worked for the BBC and TV3+.

ALEX SCOTT

Scott had a successful career as a six-time Premier League champion with Arsenal and scored the game-winning goal to win the 2006-07 UEFA Women’s Champions League. She made 140 appearances for the English national team, playing in three FIFA Women’s World Cups. She also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. In 2018, she became the first female soccer analyst at a World Cup for the BBC as well as the first female soccer analyst on Sky Sports when she joined the Network’s Super Sunday team.

CLIVE TYLDESLEY

Tyldesley is the longtime play-by-play voice of ITV, where he served as the lead soccer announcer for the network’s biggest events, including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA European Football Championship. A beloved voice in England, he has been named the Royal Television Society Sports Commentator of the Year four times in his career.