Thierry Roland (4 August 1937 – 16 June 2012) was a French sports commentator. He was born in the city of Boulogne-Billancourt, and died in Paris of a cerebrovascular event at age 74. Roland was France's leading football commentator for fifty-nine years. He began his career as a radio journalist for ORTF when he was just sixteen years old. He then became a television sports journalist at the age of twenty. He commentated on more than 1,000 football matches, including thirteen World Cups (beginn ...