It was not simply Cooper's ability with the ball. Walters was fascinated by the work that went into maintaining a gift that had made him one of the most admired players of his generation.
“Yeah, without a doubt he was one of the best players I played with in Scotland," Walters recalled to Football Presse. "He was a bit low-key, his personality, but the boys loved him because his humour was very dry.”
Cooper's personality may have been understated, but his football was anything but. Walters was particularly taken by the quality of his touch and would regularly challenge him to head tennis in the tunnel before training.
“I remember trying to play him at head tennis in the tunnel before most training sessions because I admired him, his touch and everything. And his touch was second to none.”
The left foot was Cooper's great weapon. Opponents knew what he wanted to do, but stopping him was another matter entirely.
“He would get the ball, he's very left-sided. Get the ball onto his left foot, play it by you. He'd try to get him onto his right foot, but he'd be able to manoeuvre the ball back onto his left foot and put it anywhere he wanted to.”
For Walters, the opportunity to share a dressing room with Cooper came relatively late in the latter's career, making their limited time together something he still regards as a missed opportunity.
“So it was one of my biggest regrets, actually, not being able to play with Davie more than I did.”
There was also an important distinction between Cooper and anyone who might have been asked to follow him. Walters did not see himself as someone who could simply step into the same role.
“But, I was definitely not a replacement. Davie was a special player, and unfortunately he passed away. But what a great player he was. Yeah, absolutely.”
By then, Walters had already seen enough to understand that Cooper's talent was not simply something he had been born with.
Asked what it was like to share a pitch with a player he had grown up watching, Walters admitted that the real sense of awe came away from the matches.
“Yeah, mainly in training, funnily enough. But when the games are going, you obviously, you've gotta just get on with it, you know? You know you deserve to be on the pitch yourself, so you gotta just make sure you try and do your best job and do your best to win the game.”
Training was different. There, Walters could watch Cooper closely and appreciate the details that might otherwise be missed during a competitive match.
“But in training, that's when I was in awe of Davie, for sure. When you see things in training and the way he used to carry himself. Great professional, the way he carried himself.”
Walters paid particular attention to how Cooper prepared, and what he saw changed his understanding of the player.
“I did watch the way he trained and he was a fantastic trainer. As I said, I watched the way he practiced on his touch. As great a touch as he had, he was probably the first one in training and the last one to leave.”
That was the lasting lesson for Walters. Cooper possessed extraordinary natural ability, but he also worked relentlessly at it.
“So that made me realize it's not only natural gift he had, but he had to work hard as his talent as well.”
That combination is ultimately why Cooper remains so highly regarded by Walters.
When asked where Cooper ranked among the best players he had played with, there was no hesitation.
“Oh, yeah, in the top five easy. Top five easy. I mean, the best player I think I played with is John Barnes. I thought he was a fantastic player. Gordon Cowans is in there, but Davie's in the top five, yeah, without a doubt.”
Mark Walters' book "Wingin' It: The Mark Walters Story" is from Pitch Publishing - which is available here.
