BBC’s Danny Murphy finally reveals fate of Bob the Cat during World Cup coverage

Danny Murphy has finally put an end to one of the most talked-about moments of the World Cup, revealing what happened to his cat Bob after a bizarre commentary tangent went viral. The former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder, working as a BBC co-commentator throughout the tournament, delivered the closing chapter of the saga during Spain’s last-32 win over Austria.

Murphy first mentioned Bob the Cat while on commentary duty for Norway’s round of 32 victory over Ivory Coast, telling colleague Steve Bower an unprompted tale about his pet vanishing into the back of a Royal Mail van. The remark, met with stunned silence in the commentary box at the time, quickly took on a life of its own among football fans following the tournament.

Reunited with Bower for the broadcast of Spain’s clash with Austria in Los Angeles, Murphy addressed the public interest head-on. Bower opened the door for the update, saying: “Just very quickly, because our fans haven’t stopped since our last commentary. When you told the story about your cat, Bob.”

Murphy delivers the update

Murphy jumped in to acknowledge the reaction before explaining what had really happened. “Surprisingly, Steve, there has been a lot of interest which has surprised us both,” he said. “He didn’t actually die we did get him back six or seven weeks later. Unfortunately he’d gone feral and we couldn’t re-integrate him into the home.”

He continued: “He ended up living with my friend’s parents in Preston. That was the life he had. He passed away unfortunately many years ago. Thanks for all of your concern, those who have been messaging us.”

Bower brought the story to a tongue-in-cheek close, remarking: “R.I.P Bob. Who passed away. Seemingly this week, a national tragedy.”

Spain make their own headlines

The lighthearted moment came during a match that Spain ultimately dominated. Luis de la Fuente’s side had a Marc Cucurella effort disallowed in the first half before Mikel Oyarzabal broke the deadlock roughly 20 minutes after the Bob the Cat update aired on BBC coverage.

Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s advantage before Oyarzabal added his second and the team’s third late on, sealing a comfortable victory for the European champions as they progress through the knockout stages of the World Cup. Even so, it may be the closing chapter of Murphy’s Bob the Cat tale, rather than Spain’s assured performance, that lingers longest in the memory of viewers back home.

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