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Sir Bobby Robson was an English footballer who played as a striker for three clubs plus his country. He then went on to manage seven more clubs and also his country again.

Born in County Durham, Bobby enjoyed an eighteen year career playing for Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Vancouver Royals. He scored more than 140 goals in 600+ games and also played twenty times for his country, adding four more goals.

His managerial spells spanned more than 35 years and four different countries. Briefly with Fulham, he built his reputation with Ipswich Town over thirteen seasons, taking the small club to FA Cup glory in 1978, into Europe then on to a UEFA Cup triumph in 1981.

The FA then appointed Bobby to the national job and eight years there saw him take England to the semi finals of the 1990 World Cup where England lost to West Germany on penalties. The continental clubs admired him though and PSV Eindhoven took him to Holland where he won two titles before moving on to Sporting Lisbon.

His solitary season saw him lead the Portuguese side to third in the league; he then moved on to Porto where Jose Mourinho was his assistant manager. Success came immediately with two league titles and a Portuguese Cup victory as well from 1993 to 1996.

Next port of call was Barcelona where he won three cups in his only season before moving upstairs, above Louis van Gaal, as general manager. Another season at PSV Eindhoven saw yet another cup win plus third spot in the League.

His beloved north east was calling though and Newcastle United hired him for a five year spell from 1999 to 2004. Taking over the club in the doldrums, he led them to fourth, third and fifth place finishes and European football returned to St James Park again.

He left Newcastle in 2004 and later had a brief stint as a consultant to the Eire national team. In 2007, he contracted cancer for the fifth time, having already beaten bowel cancer, tumours in his lung and brain and a malignant melanoma. After surgery, his lung cancer was diagnosed as terminal in February 2007 and Sir Bobby (he had been knighted in 2002) sadly passed away in July 2009.

Before his death, Sir Bobby set up the Foundation that carries his name; you can read all about it, and Sir Bobby here...