Andres Cantor celebrates 10 year anniversary at Telemundo.

Telemundo Communications Group Inc. announced it was extending Andres Cantor’s multiyear contract as it celebrates the renowned sports icon 10th anniversary with the network. The announcement was made by Jorge Hidalgo, Senior Executive Vice President of Deportes Telemundo.

”We are thrilled with the extension of Andres’ contract with Deportes Telemundo. He has been an iconic figure in the global soccer arena and transcended languages and borders with his unique soccer commentary style,” said Hidalgo. “He is truly the man with the golden voice when it comes to colorful play-by-play sports commentary. We look forward to working with him for many years to come as he continues lead the award-winning on air Deportes Telemundo family.”

“At this point of my career, it is gratifying to know that my work and passion for the sport of soccer is appreciated and coveted by so many people,” said Cantor. “As I looked at the many opportunities that were presented to me, I could think of no better place to continue in my journey, than my home for the past 10 years, Telemundo,” he added. We share in the commitment of excellence to the Hispanic audience and I look forward to many exciting events in the years to come.”

For more than 20 years, Cantor has been one of the most famous sports personalities in the sports world. He has served as the network’s main anchor of the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he became the first ever announcer to cross over when he became the lead English-language announcer during NBC’s broadcast of the games. Since his arrival to Telemundo, his shows have included “Fútbol Telemundo,” “Sábado de Fútbol,” “Rumbo al Mundial,” “Junto al Tri” and “Titulares Telemundo.” Cantor is also the President of Futbol de Primera which produces and syndicates his daily radio program that can be heard in over 100 stations in the United States.

Cantor has been a pioneer in Hispanic media beyond the television set. He was the first Hispanic television personality to write a book in both English and Spanish when he authored Simon Schuster’s GOOOAL: A Celebration of Soccer. He has also appeared in more commercial campaigns than any other Hispanic personality, having appeared in award-winning commercials for Pepsi, Budweiser, Snickers, AT&T, Gatorade, Volkswagen, Nike and many more. In 2010, Cantor was featured in GEICO’s English-language campaign where he is introduced as an announcer who could make any sport exciting. Subsequently, the camera cuts to him animatedly announcing a chess match. During last year’s World Cup, Cantor also became a viral sensation when his call of Landon Donovan’s historic goal against Algeria was uploaded by multiple sources generating over 1 million hits.

Cantor has been named the most influential person in soccer by Soccer America magazine and is the recipient of many prestigious industry awards. In 2005, Cantor received the Emmy from NATAS for his outstanding contributions to Hispanic television. In 2004 he received the Hispanic Heritage Award given out at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and in the same year, he won the Broadcasting & Cable/Multichannel News Lifetime Achievement Award in Hispanic Television. In 1994 he was named Sport Personality of the Year by the American Sportscaster Association, an honor he shares exclusively with John Madden and Dick Vitale.

Cantor’s distinguished career as a sport journalist includes coverage of 8 World Cups (Spain 82, Mexico 86, Italy 90, United States 94, France 98, Japan/Korea 2002, Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010); 2 Copa America’s (Brazil 89 and Chile 91); and 2 European Cups (Germany 88 and Sweden 92).