Danny Murphy's on-air story about his lost cat Bob leaves World Cup viewers divided

Danny Murphy diverted from the action during Norway’s 2-1 World Cup round of 32 win over Ivory Coast to tell viewers about his cat Bob, who he said disappeared after jumping into the back of a Royal Mail van — and the internet has not stopped talking about it since.

The moment was triggered when Norway substitute Oscar Bobb received the ball shortly after coming on in the second half. Main commentator Steve Bower noted “here’s Bobb’s first involvement”, and after a ten-second pause, Murphy responded: “I used to have a cat called Bob.”

Bower’s dry reply — “the game’s not that bad” — did little to stop Murphy, who pressed on. “Yeah, he jumped in the back of a Royal Mail van, and we lost him. Sad really. Anyway,” Murphy said, before laughing. Bower eventually steered the broadcast back to football: “Anyway, 18 minutes to go, the Ivory Coast need a goal.”

As it happened, the match delivered almost immediately. Amad Diallo equalised for Ivory Coast within a minute to cancel out Antonio Nusa’s first-half opener, before Erling Haaland restored Norway’s lead four minutes from time to seal their place in the round of 16.

The clip spread quickly on social media, drawing a sharply divided response. The Football Ramble described it as “truly iconic commentary”, while others were far less charitable. “Riveting analysis from Danny Murphy here,” one viewer wrote sarcastically, and another asked: “Sorry, how is Danny Murphy a real commentator?”

The comparison that gained the most traction, however, was to Alan Partridge. “Pure Partridge from Danny Murphy,” one post on X read, while another said: “Easily the best bit of commentary from Danny Murphy ever. Full Partridge.”

Not everyone was dismissive. One viewer offered a more generous reading of the moment: “Incredible. The comedic timing of ‘sad really’ is just masterful. Danny Murphy, I wasn’t familiar with your game…”

Some even questioned the story’s veracity, with one user writing: “I think it must be some version of an ‘off to live on a farm’ thing his parents told him. This needs the full true crime podcast treatment. Justice for Bob.”