HE’S THE IDOL OF A GENERATION
You can often tell the mark of a person from what their colleagues say about them. The former England manager Gareth Southgate called Bryan Robson his “sporting hero”. Gary Lineker views him in the same light: “Even when I played alongside him, I was in awe of Bryan Robson. An inspirational footballer.”
David Beckham said: “What Bobby Charlton was to my father, Bryan Robson was to me – and still is. But Bryan, as well as being great going forward, could tackle and he could defend. I could never do either of those things.”
Sir Alex Ferguson said: “An influential person in the dressing room, well-liked by the players, a great captain, and courage? Well, three broken legs, a broken collarbone, a hundred and one hamstring injuries, ankle injuries, and still played till 37 years of age! So that tells you something about the man. Oh, fantastic. He had good control, was a decisive tackler, passed the ball well and his combination of stamina and perceptive reading of movement enabled him to make sudden and deadly infiltrations from midfield into the opposition’s box.”
But maybe the best quote comes from Gary Neville, who said Robson “epitomised everything I thought a United player should be”.
“He flogged himself to the end of every game and gave blood, sweat and tears. He was a true leader. When he burst into the box, it was like his life depended on it. You could see it in his face and his running style. Everything was a fight and a battle.”
And that was it; Robson did what every United fan wished they could do on the pitch, if they only had the talent. And that even after he grew up as a Newcastle fan.
