Bobby Robson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sir Bobby Robson
CBE

Robson after the Netherlands versus England match on 15 June 1988 in Düsseldorf, West Germany
Personal information
Full name	Robert William Robson
Date of birth	(1933-02-18)18 February 1933
Place of birth	Sacriston, County Durham, England, U.K.
Date of death	31 July 2009(2009-07-31) (aged 76)
Place of death	County Durham, England, U.K.
Playing position	Inside striker (forward)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1950–1956	Fulham	152	(68)
1956–1962	West Bromwich Albion	239	(56)
1962–1967	Fulham	192	(9)
1967–1968	Vancouver Royals	0	(0)
Total		583	(133)
National team
1957–1962	England	20	(4)
Teams managed
1968	Fulham
1969–1982	Ipswich Town
1982–1990	England
1990–1992	PSV Eindhoven
1992–1994	Sporting CP
1994–1996	Porto
1996–1997	Barcelona
1998–1999	PSV Eindhoven
1999–2004	Newcastle United
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson CBE (born February 18, 1933 – died July 31, 2009) was a famous English association football player and manager. He played in almost 600 matches and scored over 100 goals. He also played for the England national team, scoring four goals in 20 games.

Robson managed several clubs, including Fulham F.C. and Ipswich Town F.C.. He then became the manager of the England national football team for eight years, from 1982 to 1990. He led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990. After that, he managed other big football teams in Europe, including clubs in Holland, Portugal, and Spain. Robson returned to England to manage Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.

Sadly, Sir Bobby Robson was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007. He passed away in 2009.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

Bobby Robson was born in Sacriston, County Durham, England in 1933. He was one of five brothers. As a young boy, he loved football and often went to St James' Park with his dad to watch Newcastle United F.C. play.

When he was just 15, Robson played football for a local team, even though the other boys were 18. He also worked as an apprentice electrician. In 1950, the manager of Fulham F.C., Bill Dodgin, Sr., visited Robson's home. He offered Bobby a contract to become a professional football player. Robson signed the contract and moved to London to start his amazing career.

Playing for Clubs and Country

Club Football Adventures

Bobby Robson played his first professional football game for Fulham F.C. in 1950. He stayed with Fulham for six years. Then, he moved to West Bromwich Albion for £25,000. He played for Albion for another six years, playing nearly 250 games and scoring over 50 goals.

When Robson asked for a higher salary, Albion said no. So, he moved back to Fulham. After some key players were sold, Robson felt he wouldn't win any trophies with Fulham. In 1967, he left to join the Vancouver Royals in Canada. There, he was both a player and a manager, but he had to share the management role. He didn't like this, so he returned to England in 1968 and started managing Fulham.

Playing for England

While playing for West Bromwich Albion, Bobby Robson was chosen to play for the England team. He played for England in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He was also picked for the 1962 FIFA World Cup, but he got an injury in a friendly game against Chile and had to leave the squad. In total, he played 20 times for his country.

Bobby Robson: The Manager

Starting as a Club Manager

Statue of Robson at Portman Road

Robson began his managing career at Fulham F.C. The team was relegated (moved down a league) in his first season. He was then fired the next season. In 1969, he became manager of Ipswich Town F.C.. He didn't win any major competitions in his first four years there. But in 1973, Ipswich won the Texaco Cup.

Over the next nine seasons, Ipswich usually finished in the top six teams. In the 1977–78 season, they won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal F.C. 1–0 at Wembley. Three years later, Robson led Ipswich to win the UEFA Cup. They beat the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar 5–4 over two games. After these successes, Robson moved on to manage the England national football team in 1982.

Leading the England Team

Bobby Robson managed the England team 95 times, winning 47 of those games. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he led the team to the quarter-finals. They lost 2–1 to Argentina. Both of Argentina's goals were scored by Diego Maradona, including the famous "Hand of God" goal.

Four years later, in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Robson led England all the way to the semi-finals. This time, they lost to West Germany in a penalty shoot-out. After this World Cup, the Football Association decided not to extend Robson's contract.

Managing in Europe

After leaving England, Robson joined the Dutch club P.S.V. Eindhoven in 1990. They won the league in his first two seasons. However, they didn't win any European competitions, and Robson lost his job in 1992.

In July 1992, Robson joined the Portuguese club Sporting Clube de Portugal. He led them to third place in the league in his first season. But a defeat in a European competition meant Robson lost his job again in December 1994. He quickly got a new job managing F.C. Porto. He led Porto to win the Portuguese Cup and they won the league two seasons in a row!

In the summer of 1996, Robson became manager at FC Barcelona in Spain. During his time there, he signed the famous player Ronaldo. He also led the club to win the Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup, and European Cup Winners' Cup. The next season, Robson took on a different role at Barcelona before returning to Holland to manage P.S.V. Eindhoven for one more season.

After that, Robson came back to England to work for the Football Association. Soon after, Newcastle United F.C. manager Ruud Gullit left, and Robson took over at St James' Park. He managed Newcastle until 2004, but didn't win any major trophies with them.

Helping the Republic of Ireland

On January 13, 2006, Bobby Robson took on a support role as "International Football Consultant" for the Republic of Ireland national team. He worked with manager Steve Staunton. Due to health problems, Robson left this position in November 2007.

Life Outside Football

Bobby Robson was married to his wife Elsie from 1955 until he passed away. They had three sons: Andrew, Paul, and Mark.

Health Challenges

Bobby Robson faced several health challenges throughout his life. In 1991, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, but he recovered the next year. His health problems sometimes affected his work. For example, while at Porto, he had a malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer) and missed the first few months of the 1995–96 season. He had many operations, including one in 2006 for a brain tumour.

In October 2006, he was given the all-clear from his health issues. However, in May 2007, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He sadly died from lung cancer on July 31, 2009.

Other Activities

Bobby Robson also appeared in some advertisements, like the Carlsberg "Best Pub Side" TV ad. He worked as a football expert for ITV during the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 European Championship. He also wrote a weekly column for The Mail on Sunday newspaper.

Awards and Honours

Bobby Robson received many honours for his amazing work in football. In 1990, after eight years as England manager, he was given a CBE. In 2002, he was knighted, which means he became "Sir Bobby Robson." Both awards were for his great contributions to football. That same year, he was given the freedom of Newcastle upon Tyne.

He also received the UEFA President's Award for 'services to football'. In 2003, he was added to the English Football Hall of Fame. In 2005, Robson was made an Honorary Freeman of Newcastle. He said in his autobiography that this was "the proudest moment of my life."

Robson also won the 1992 Football Writers' Association Tribute Award for his "outstanding contribution to the national game." In 2001, he received the British Sports Writers' Association Pat Besford Trophy for Outstanding Achievement. In 2005, he got a lifetime achievement award from the Sports Coach UK Awards. He also received the Eircom International Personality of the Year in 2006. On December 9, 2007, Robson was given the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

In May 2008, during the 30th anniversary celebrations of Ipswich Town's 1978 FA Cup win, Robson was granted the Freedom of Ipswich. On December 8, 2008, he was given the Freedom of the City of Durham.

Managerial Honours

Images for kids

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  Robson traveling with Ipswich Town, 1978

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  Sir Bobby Robson at the Republic of Ireland versus Slovakia match in Croke Park, Dublin on 29 March 2007

See also

In Spanish: Bobby Robson para niños