MICHAEL ROBINSON: Who was Michael Robinson and why will Spain always remember him?
A British man admired and recognised in Spain? It sounds difficult, but Michael Robinson made it possible, with a charisma and grace that captured the attention of all sports fans and made us want to hear more of his slow arguments with a Spanish-style British accent.
There are those who remember him more for his career in journalism, and others who remember the great goals he scored as a striker for Preston North End, Manchester City, Liverpool or CA Osasuna, and many more.
A regrettable knee injury was enough to force him to leave the field professionally, but not from our lives. He was there on “El Día Después”, on “Informe Robinson” and commentating for La Liga -among many other spaces- in his new role as sports commentator, presenter and interviewer, with a settlement in Spain that will remain in the memory of an entire nation for the rest of history.
The talent and professionalism that characterized him from head to toe are undeniable, but also a kindness and innocence that is even endearing, and even more so if you find out that Michael, upon receiving the news that they wanted to sign him for CA Osasuna, accepted without even knowing that Osasuna was not literally a place to go to. This is how Robinson himself told it: “My wife and I looked for Osasuna on the map and it didn’t appear. I thought that Osasuna was a place. I believed it even when I was already training with them.” “What is Osasuna like?” Michael asked himself then, but his wife Christine knew how to answer jokingly with the truth: “Osasuna doesn’t exist, Michael; that’s the name of the team. The place is called Pamplona.” (El Pais, 2012)
Michael Robinson was born in Leicester on 12 July 1958, but spent his childhood in the coastal town of Blackpool. His sporting career began in the youth ranks of Coventry City. At the age of 21 he signed for Manchester City and shortly afterwards joined Liverpool… A dream come true for Robinson! But it was in 1987 that he transferred to Osasuna CF and arrived in Spain, a country that he would fall completely in love with.
“When I arrived in Spain I only said hello, goodbye, thank you, beer and counted to five,” Robinson confessed.
He later decided to retire in 1989 due to knee injuries, and shortly after he began his highly successful television career, joining the television program “El día Después” and creating his own program later in 2007, which he called “Informe Robinson” and its radio counterpart “Acento Robinson”. With several awards and endless recognition for his work in the sports world, Michael had to face, however, an unfortunate and harsh reality that led him to fight one of his most difficult battles…
WHAT OTHER PROJECTS WAS ROBINSON INVOLVED IN?
Outside of the world of journalism and sport, Robinson's well-known face has led him to collaborate on other projects. In 1990 he was the face of the sports management video game for PC, Fútbol. Did you know that he was a character dubber? I'm sure you weren't! The former footballer was the voice of Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, playing the character of Doris.
On the other hand, he was named an adopted son of the city of Cádiz in 2018 due to his fondness for Cádiz CF. Among his other sporting passions was rugby and he managed to get Canal+ to broadcast the Five Nations Tournament when this sport was barely known in Spain. Thus, in 2008 he inaugurated the Super Ibérica de Rugby, a professional 15-a-side rugby league of which only one season could be held.
In December 2018, Michael Robinson revealed during an interview on “La Ventana” (Cadena SER) that he had been diagnosed with melanoma. “I thought it was a nightmare, that it wasn’t real,” he said calmly to the audience. “I would have preferred not to have this battle, but given the circumstances, and it is what it is and I have it, I am really up for the job, I am really up for the fight, and I am learning from myself,” continued Robinson, who managed to contain the disease for months, maintaining his presence as the presenter of his sports journalism space on Movistar+ until his last days.
Michael Robinson finally passed away from this disease at the age of 61 on April 28.
Robinson married Christine and they had two children, Liam and Aimee. During his illness, they were his greatest support. His children have studied in England and Scotland, but his true home is in Spain. His son Liam inherited his father's love of rugby and played the sport for a while in La Moraleja. However, he now works at his father's audiovisual production company: Robinson Productions. On the other hand, Aimee studied advertising and teaches yoga classes.
His great work was awarded with two Ondas Awards (1992 and 2009) and the Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Journalism Award (2017), and he will always be remembered internationally and as the voice of football in Spain.
CHRONOLOGY OF MICHAEL ROBINSON'S FOOTBALL CAREER
*Excluding friendly matches
Preston North End (1975-1979)
Matches: 48
Total goals: 15
Manchester City (1979-1980)
Matches: 30
Total goals: 8
Brighton & Hove Albion (1980-1983)
Matches: 113
Total goals: 37
Liverpool FC (1983-1985)
Matches: 38
Total goals: 8
QPR (1984-1987)
Matches: 45
Total goals: 6
Osasuna 1987-1989
Matches: 59
Total goals: 12
Robinson also played internationally for Ireland, making 24 appearances and scoring 4 goals, as an Irishman through his mother's descent.
MICHAEL ROBINSON'S JOURNALISTIC CAREER
Spanish Television (1989)
English Premier League match commentator.
Team of narrators for the 1990 World Cup.
Screensport (Sky Television)
Executive.
Canal+ Spain
Commentator for La Liga.
The Larguero (Cadena SER)
Collaborator.
The Day After (Canal +)
Sports analyst, 1991-2005.
Maracana 05
Sports analyst (Leaves the program for personal reasons and editorial disagreements)
Robinson Report (Canal+) 2007
Sports presenter and reporter.
Robinson Accent (Cadena SER)
Variant of 'Robinson Report' for radio.
Televisa Sports
Analyst during the 2014 World Cup.
Robinson was for years the main commentator for the Ser and Canal+ channels
Michael Robinson made his last appearance as a commentator during the Liverpool vs Atlético de Madrid match on March 11 at Anfield, in the Champions League round of 16.
