One Page, 40 Years of Habits: Derek Rae's Impossible Commentary Sheet Is Going Viral

What happened, in short

Derek Rae's commentary sheet is going viral because a single page of his handwritten preparation for Real Madrid vs Sevilla is packed so densely with tiny notes, names, numbers and colour-coded annotations that most fans say they could not read a single line of it. Rae, the Scottish commentator known to millions as a voice of EA Sports FC and for his work on ESPN and ABC in the United States and Amazon Prime Video in the UK, responded himself on October 19 — and his explanation is why the photo keeps spreading.

The photo that started it

The image shows one large sheet prepared for the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu. According to DailySports, the picture was circulated by The Touchline on X and shows the page filled almost edge to edge, divided into sections for the two teams, with different ink colours used to separate information.

What sounds effortless on television — a name, a quick statistic, a line about a previous meeting — sits on that page somewhere, squeezed between dozens of other facts Rae might need if a goal, an injury or a tactical change suddenly rewrites the match.

What Derek Rae said about it

Rae noticed the attention and answered it directly. In his post, quoted by The Sun and summarised by Inshorts, he said the sheet is purely for his own use as part of his preparation, and that nobody else is meant to work from it.

His key line was simple: copying and pasting is not learning. Rae explained that his eyes stay on the pitch during a match, but if he needs to glance down, he knows exactly where each piece of information sits on the page. He added that every commentator prepares differently because everyone digests information differently, that there is no single correct way to do it, and that this has been his way for more than 40 years.

And why cram everything onto just one page? His answer was practical, not artistic: commentary positions are often cramped, so one page is what fits.

Why it's blowing up

First, the image is instantly shareable. You do not need to follow La Liga to understand it — anyone who has ever made a study sheet, a cheat sheet or a to-do list recognises the feeling of trying to fit one more line into the last empty corner.

Second, it pulls back a curtain fans rarely see. Viewers hear a commentator sound calm for ninety minutes and rarely think about the hours of research underneath it — the substitutions, player histories and head-to-head records squeezed onto that page.

Third, Rae's response landed perfectly. He did not get defensive. He owned the chaos, explained the method behind it, and turned a viral joke into a lesson about how professionals learn their material — by writing it themselves.

Key facts

• Who: Derek Rae, Scottish football commentator and a voice of EA Sports FC, who also works for ESPN and ABC in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
• What: A photograph of his densely handwritten, colour-coded, one-page commentary sheet went viral on social media.
• Which match: Real Madrid vs Sevilla in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Sun reported Real Madrid won 4-1, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Arda Guler and Yan Diomande also on target.
• His method: Handwritten by him, for his eyes only, built over 40-plus years of broadcasting, and limited to one page because commentary boxes are cramped.
• His defence: "Copying & pasting is not learning" — writing the notes himself is how he remembers them.

What's next

There is no controversy to resolve here — and that is part of the charm. Rae will be back in a commentary box soon with another single page just like it, and the next time he drops a perfectly timed statistic into a broadcast, a lot more viewers will picture the sheet it came from.

Sources

• The Sun — Voice of EA FC Derek Rae explains his commentary sheet after pic went viral
• Inshorts — Derek Rae shares crammed 1-page commentary notes, pic goes viral
• DailySports — Legendary commentator reveals the work behind one football match
• The Soccer Dispatch — Derek Rae shared the secret to his craft

FAQ

Why did Derek Rae's commentary sheet go viral?

Because a photo of his one-page preparation sheet for Real Madrid vs Sevilla showed handwriting so tiny and densely packed, in several colours, that fans could not believe anyone could read it during a live match.

What did Derek Rae say about the sheet?

Rae said it is purely for his own use, that copying and pasting is not learning, that he knows where every note sits when he glances down, and that he has prepared this way for more than 40 years.

Why does he use only one page?

Rae said commentary positions are often cramped, so a single page is a practical choice — everything he might need has to fit on that one sheet.

Who is Derek Rae?

He is a Scottish football commentator known as a voice of EA Sports FC and for broadcasting work with ESPN and ABC in the United States and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.