In , Les Murray delivered the kind of signature insight for which he became best known since starting his post at SBS in 1980.
Murray, who died at the age of 71 in July, reflected on a time before the FFA and warned that if the national governing body were to ignore the clout of the clubs, the game risked being fractured again, as it was 60 years ago.
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"I spent much time being amongst the people who administered football and its clubs between 1957 and the ultimate demise of the NSL in 2003. Most of them worked hard, for no salary or financial reward," he wrote.
"All these people, most of them immigrants, had one over-riding mission: to make football accepted and popular among all Australians. For this effort they were labelled, as Johnny Warren recalled, sheilas, wogs and poofters.
"Yet their legacy is golden and one we should all cherish ... there would be no new football without old soccer which was kept alive and breathing mostly by immigrants."
Beyond his passion for the game that sustained a career spanning more than half-a-decade, Murray, a former reugee himself, was also an outspoken advocate for diversity.
It was this trait - and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport - for which he became revered as he beamed into homes across Australia, perhaps most memorably on weekend afternoons for the 'World Soccer' and later, 'The World Game' programs.
"No one better embodied what SBS represents than Les," Managing Director of SBS Michael Ebeid said.
"From humble refugee origins, he became one of Australia’s most recognised and loved sporting identities. Not just a football icon, but a great Australian story and an inspiration to many, to say that his contribution to SBS and to football was enormous doesn’t do it justice.
"This is a devastating loss for all of us."
Colleague and fellow commentator Craig Foster said Murray's impact on the game would endure.
"He fought well into extra time but whistle has blown," Foster tweeted. "His legacy is lasting.
"Well played old friend. Extraordinary performance.
Politicians also rallied around the memory of one of football's most iconic figures.
"You championed the beautiful game ... you and Johnny Warren really made the world game Australia's game," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.
Farewell Les Murray. pic.twitter.com/RHksJGfwvo — Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) July 31, 2017
"Very sorry to hear of Les Murray's passing," Greens leader Richard Di Natale tweeted. "A football legend, advocate for people seeking asylum and an amazing personality."
"Les Murray brought the world game to Australian homes. He was the voice of famous victory and heartbreaking defeat, of joy and despair. Vale," Bill Shorten wrote.
When Murray announced his semi-retirement from SBS in 2014, that spanned more than three decades with the broadcaster.
"I have been lucky, of course, and whatever it is that I did for football has been reciprocated by what football did for me," Murray wrote
"Most of all, as the end of the journey nears, I must pay gratitude to the viewers, the true believers who stood by football, SBS, and me, and shared the journey with me as members of my family.
"I will never forget them."
On Monday, generations of fans returned that gratitude tenfold as social media was flooded with tributes for the beloved icon, proving the spirit of Mr Football's legacy will certainly live on.
