On Saturday evening, LaLigaTV announced that commentator and presenter Simon Hanley had sadly passed away, after cancer unfortunately took him at the age of 60.
Born in Morpeth in the North-East England, Hanley was a Newcastle United fan, but a passionate lover of football as a whole. When he moved to Spain, he became synonymous with La Liga for many.
(1/2) Our dearest Simon passed away yesterday at the age of 60 surrounded by family after his battle with cancer.
We want to thank him for the music, for his sense of humour, for his rebelliousness and for his strength throughout his entire life.— Simon Hanley (@SimonHanley62) January 1, 2023
His family released a statement via his Twitter account, thanking people for their kind words, of which there were floods.
(2/2) We also want to thank you all for your kind words at these difficult times.
We especially would like to thank the @vallhebron team for their empathy and compassion, and for taking such good care of Simon and of us. #VivaLaSanidadPública— Simon Hanley (@SimonHanley62) January 1, 2023
Tributes flowed in from the great and the good of Spanish football media. Hanley was instrumental in the operation and broadcasting of LaLigaTV, a dedicated channel broadcasting primarily in the United Kingdom. His work was appreciated and his colleagues, amongst whom were the likes of Gaizka Mendieta and Gustavo Poyet.
Simon Hanley RIP @SimonHanley62 #Liga #Newcastle @BingSelfish pic.twitter.com/KdNpR79zGt
— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) December 31, 2022
Many of the current crop of Spanish football experts came out to express their grief and thanks to Hanley for giving them their break and as time passes, the size of his impact on the coverage of Spanish football will only continue to grow.
