Michael Robinson, from European Cup winner to the voice of Spanish TV | Sid Lowe

Although he graced European and FA Cup finals, the former striker, who has died at 61, truly shone as a broadcaster in Spain

Michael Robinson had a big heart and loved telling stories. He told stories on the telly, he told stories on the radio and he told stories every time you were with him. Warm, funny, human stories. Endlessly. He could talk and talk, though he listened too. You couldn’t meet him for lunch and get back before dinner. He loved football but above all he loved people, good people. The game, which he understood and communicated better than anyone – an explanation of on-field “reference points” lingers in the mind, a moment’s revelation – was the excuse for everything else, he said.

The problem with that is it suggested he wasn’t good at the game, which is what he tended to suggest too. Ian Rush was a genius who made him look good, he would say: all he had to do was nod the ball on, any old place, and it would magically become the perfect assist. As if that was easy. Not just anyone joins Liverpool, where he would play in goal in training – Cat, they called him – and stand outside the toilet reading the programme to Kenny Dalglish on match days. Where he managed to go to West Ham and score a hat-trick in the pouring rain.

Continue reading…