Football commentating is a relentless world and an ITV star has lifted the lid on the demands the job carries and his rise from working at McDonald's for six years

Sam Matterface has admitted he "never has a day off" from commentating. But insists his job is still a far cry from working down a coal mine.

The ITV broadcaster, who filled the rather sizeable boots of Clive Tyldesley as the network's lead football commentator in 2020, has lifted the lid on the demands of life behind the microphone.

And while the role comes with plenty of pressure, Matterface is quick to put things into perspective, recalling his six years working at McDonald's before making it in broadcasting. “I loved every minute of it,” he joked to Daily Star Sport via Hard Rock Bet.

Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources.

"I prefer doing this. It's a lot more fun. But it is hard work, and it should be hard work, right? Because at the end of the day, you're broadcasting to a lot of people!"

That audience brings its own challenges, with Matterface acknowledging that trying to keep everyone happy is an impossible task: “You're trying to satisfy a lot of people. You're not going to please everybody all the time. And that's just life."

However, Matterface admitted he has to love his job, as it comes with zero days off. Alongside his duties for ITV, Matterface picks up a microphone for talkSPORT and TNT Sports.

"I never have a day off. Never," he admitted. "And even if I do have a day off, I will be doing something because you can't take your eye off the ball for longer than a second. And if you do, you'll miss something!"

While Matterface is best known for his work behind the microphone, he occasionally takes on presenting duties, so he must be prepared to discuss far more than just the two teams taking to the pitch.

Keeping up with every development in football is no easy task, and he accepts that knowing absolutely everything is virtually impossible. However, he believes it is essential to stay as informed as possible.

"I'm a commentator, but also occasionally hosting. You've got to be across it all. You're never across everything; you can't be, it's impossible," he explained.

"There's so much that happens in the world of football now, but you have to do your best to be as much as you can across the landscape."

That is not a problem for Matterface, however, who joked that watching matches, reading the latest news and discussing football are all part of his everyday routine.

But while keeping informed might come naturally, getting things right remains a huge responsibility. Broadcasting to such a large audience means accuracy is paramount, and Matterface admits that making mistakes can be particularly difficult to accept.

"When you make a mistake, and I have made some mistakes, obviously, and make quite a lot of them; everybody does, and you're human, so you will," he said.

"But when you do, it really, really upsets you, really, really upsets you, especially if you've done lots and lots of work, and you've prepared everything the way you wanted it to go."