Ten years have passed since Sir Bobby Robson died.
On 31 July, 2009, the 76-year-old former Ipswich, England, Barcelona and Newcastle manager died from lung cancer and the football world mourned the loss of a great, with Sir Alex Ferguson among those leading the tributes at the time.
“There is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson,” the legendary Manchester United boss said.
Robson worked with some of the game’s biggest names and was loved by them all. Here, talkSPORT.com looks at quotes that sum the great man up.
Possibly one of the greatest strikers ever spent just a season under Robson, but he left a lasting impact on the Brazilian.
“I’m proud to have worked with him. He was an awesome coach and an awesome person. He was like a father to me.
“I have had a lot of managers in football but the difference between all of them and Sir Bobby was his humanity and the relationships he had with the players. He was always like a father to everyone.
“At Barcelona he spoke to me in Portuguese because, at the time, my English wasn’t good. He was very patient.
“I remember there were a lot of players for Barcelona from different countries at that time and Sir Bobby managed us all and brought us together. It didn’t matter what language you spoke or what colour you were. He was great.”
Midfielder Guardiola played for Barcelona under Robson and his sacking in 1997 saddened the Manchester City manager.
“After the purge in Barcelona, he went to Newcastle [in 1999] and I sent him a letter to offer me the chance to go to him and play at Newcastle.”
“One of my dreams would have been to have played in England.
“He answered me and said it was not possible because he had a lot of quality and he was right, but, even in that tough moment, he was always so kind.
“He wrote a simple letter and it was like it meant so much more. Bobby is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life.”
He began life as Robson’s translator before becoming his assistant and a coach in his own right.
“If he had no time to go and play golf with his friends he would play between training sessions in the stadium.
“I saw him play inside the Nou Camp once from goal to goal. He was just a really happy person.”
Dyer played under Robson at Newcastle and, while also seeing him as a father figure, revealed he had a tough side, as evidenced by the way he put Craig Bellamy in his place.
“There was one game where he brought Craig Bellamy off early because he thought the game was won and he wanted to save Craig’s legs.
“When we got back to the changing room, Craig kept jabbering away about the injustice and finally Sir Bobby snapped. ‘I’ll squash you, son, like an ant.
“Craig looked a bit taken aback but after a brief pause, started complaining again.
“‘Who are you?’ Sir Bobby said. ‘Ronaldo, Romario, Stoichkov, Hagi, Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Gascoigne: these are the people I deal with. And who are you?’
“The changing room went quiet. Even Craig went quiet. And then Craig looked over at me and said: ‘He’s got a point, hasn’t he?’”
While England manager, Robson gave Gazza his first cap and took him to the 1990 World Cup where he became a superstar and they remained close until the boss’ death.
“Before he passed away, I played in an England-Germany charity match.
“Sir Bobby was there in his wheelchair and I went up to him to say, ‘boss, it’s Gazza.’ He was still a bit drugged up with the morphine.
“He had to leave early, but his son told me later that he asked ‘how did Gazza do?’
“That was quite heartbreaking. God, he still remembers.”
Newcastle and the Premier League’s record goal scorer hails the work Robson did at St James’ Park.
“He was a genius man-manager. That was his biggest asset.
“Whether you were 17 or 35, or anything in between, he got the best out of you.
“He knew how to make a football player feel special.
“Without him coming in as manager, I’d probably have left Newcastle.”
The striker played under Robson at two World Cups and credits him for sending his career into the stratosphere.
“I’ve never met anyone more enthusiastic about the game, and I think that was one of his great strengths. That’s why he kept going for such a long time, and one of the reasons why he was genuinely popular.
“He was certainly popular with the players. He got the maximum from everyone who played for him, which his record proves. He did amazingly well with Ipswich and England, was a success in Europe and he did a decent job with Newcastle, as they probably realise now.
“He expected a lot: if you were slacking, Bobby wouldn’t hesitate to give you a tongue-lashing. But if you earned his trust he was fiercely loyal.
“I was one of the ones who benefited – he could easily have left me out in 1986 after I hadn’t scored in the first two games. He did make a couple of changes before we played Poland but he stuck by me and it changed my life, really – I got a hat-trick in that game, and from then on I started scoring goals.
“When I look back at my time with England, it’s a special thing, playing for your country. To play for a manager like that – who was so loyal, and gave you so many opportunities – makes you feel hugely grateful and lucky. Privileged, really, to have played for one of the greats.”
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