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For the professional American football player, see Michael Robinson (American football).

Michael Robinson (born July 12, 1958 in Leicester, England) was an Irish international footballer who later became a top television pundit and presenter in Spain.

Robinson, who started his career with Preston North End and Manchester City, was a strong and skilful striker who shot to fame as part of the Brighton & Hove Albion team which reached the 1983 FA Cup final while within a fruitless battle against relegation.

In that Wembley final against Manchester United, Robinson played outstandingly as Brighton came tantalisingly close to victory, eventually settling for a 2-2 draw and a replay which their opponents won 4-0. It was enough, however, for clubs to bid for Robinson, who was keen to leave due to Brighton's relegation.

Liverpool came in for Robinson and paid Brighton £250,000 for him and he duly battled with big guns like Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush for a place up front in the side. In that first season Liverpool won three trophies - the League championship, the League Cup and the European Cup - and Robinson played enough games to earn a title medal and also came on as a substitute in the European Cup win against A.S. Roma. He was unlucky in the League Cup campaign - he was a used substitute again against Everton but the game ended goalless and Robinson was not picked for the replay, which Liverpool won.

Despite his own obvious ability, Robinson was too often the reserve striker behind Dalglish and Rush and so moved on to Queens Park Rangers at the end of 1984. There he was an unlucky loser at Wembley again in the 1986 League Cup final, when Oxford United beat QPR 3-0. However, during the run to the League Cup final Michael Robinson earned himself a place in QPR fans hearts forever when he scored a 40 yard goal against arch-rivals Chelsea in the Quarter Final replay at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea. A year later, he moved to Spain to play for CA Osasuna, where ex-Liverpool team-mate Sammy Lee was already a player.

Robinson, who won 23 caps for the Republic of Ireland, stayed in Spain on retirement, having settled very well into the country and learned the language to fluency, a trait that was later picked up on by Steve McManaman, a far younger player who holds many parallels to Robinson and regards him as his mentor. Robinson is now one of Spain's leading TV pundits on the game, first in Canal+ and now in Cuatro TV. A latex puppet of his likeness is the conductor of the satirical show Las noticias del guiñol.

• 1983/84 League Cup
• 1983/84 League Championship (Level 1)
• 1983/84 European Cup