Tony Meola (seen at left above) is a former U.S. keeper who’s calling World Cup games for Fox alongside J.P. Dellacamera. Troy Aikman (seen at right above) is a former NFL quarterback and long-time NFL on Fox analyst who is not. But Meola’s voice sounds quite a bit like Aikman’s, and that’s led to a whole lot of tweets on the subject, especially during Tuesday’s Nigeria-Argentina match.
First, here’s an example of Meola’s commentary on Lionel Messi’s goal (starting at 0:35):
LIONEL MESSI GETS THE OPENER!
What a ball by Banega, what a touch and finish by Messi. Argentina lead Nigeria 1-0. pic.twitter.com/ONbGOjKVkg
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 26, 2018
Oh yeah, there’s a resemblance there. And Twitter has noticed:
Tony Meola sounds like Troy Aikman @FOXSoccer
— Nolan (@iamnolanrickert) June 26, 2018
The analyst for the Nigeria/Argentina match sounds like Troy Aikman. Expecting him to drop a “that’s exactly right Joe” any minute now.
— Josh Peterson (@joshtweeterson) June 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/HeelSammy/status/1011673585285394432
https://twitter.com/ebardonr/status/1011674351274545158
#Fox #WorldCup2018 analyst Tony Meoli sounds exactly like #FOX #NFL Analyst Troy Aikman…it’s uncanny
— Artie Schweitzer (@ArtieSchweitzer) June 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/rhettweller/status/1011676919547420672
Is Troy Aikman doing the World Cup games on FOX, it sure sounds like him. #wheresjoe
— Ron Walters (@SoulardRon) June 26, 2018
Anyone else out there think #Fox #WorldCup analyst Tony Meola sounds exactly like Troy Aikman
— Mike Lerseth (@MikeLerseth) June 26, 2018
And this isn’t the first game where people have noticed the vocal resemblance. This has been a recurring theme throughout the World Cup:
Tony Meola sounds so much like Troy Aikman it’s eerie, calling the #WorldCup for FOX. Halfway waiting for Joe Buck to give us the Man of the Match.
— Damon Amendolara (@DamonAmendo) June 16, 2018
Tony Meola sounds like Troy Aikman and this Mexico-Germany game is much more interesting when you imagine it’s Aikman calling a soccer game
— T. Howell Jr. (@rmfTHowell) June 17, 2018
Tony Meola sounds like a sleep-deprived Troy Aikman. #WorldCup
— Danny Alvarado (@AlvaradoDanny) June 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/dwcowell/status/1008371162437640192
https://twitter.com/richardkhal/status/1008392259094450176
I'd so much rather hear those guys' passionate call–even with a few hiccups like "handball" for throw in–than listen to bored Troy Aikman, er, Tony Meola.
— Jonathan Bloom (@WastedFood) June 19, 2018
Is that Really Tony Meola calling World Cup Games because it sounds a lot like Troy Aikman to me. Is she RIGHTTT?? (Sam Kinison Back To School Voice) pic.twitter.com/Vn9lqsLGqk
— 8/24 (@johnm3578) June 19, 2018
@MenInBlazers is it just me or does Tony Meola sound exactly like Troy Aikman?
— Seanathon (@Ocraziness82) June 23, 2018
Lukaku and the Belgium squad are a goal-scoring machine.
Also: Tony Meola sounds a lot like Troy Aikman.— Baphomet's Bastard ★ Alex Quaresma (@SavageSteamboat) June 23, 2018
Maybe Tony Meola sounds too much like Troy Aikman.
— Effsgiven (@pjolstead) June 23, 2018
Meola is on one of the two Fox announcing teams that’s in Russia for the tournament, not calling matches from studios in L.A., so we’re pretty sure it’s actually him and not Aikman on these broadcasts. Or else this is a really elaborate ploy, involving him tweeting signs from St. Petersburg:
https://twitter.com/TMeola1/status/1011506359194607618
Meanwhile, Aikman is Instagramming from a trip to Hawaii (and throwing in some Hawaii tourism links):
So, it seems likely this is Meola and not actually Aikman. But Fox should definitely take advantage of this vocal similarity at some point; Troy and “Troy” could make a pretty funny football-and-futbol video. And hey, if Aikman ever needs a Thursday night off, he now knows where to find a vocal doppelganger…
