Manchester United has a rich legacy of players who have made a mark at the club to make it arguably the most successful club in the British Isles.
While it has ruled English football for a quarter of a century now, its incredible foundation can be attributed to its mercurial and legendary captain Bryan Robson OBE.
He is a retired midfielder who was played notably for the Red Devils and West Brom and for the English national team.
Background
Robson was born on 11 January 1957 in Chester-le-Street, Durham, England. He joined the youth team of West Bromwich Albion after trials in various other clubs and got his first playing opportunities in the youth team in 1973
Debut
Robson impressed in his time at West Brom and thus earned youth team call up. His continued brilliant performances made a national team selection certain. His senior team debut was against arch-rivals Ireland in an important European qualifier match in 1980. England eased past the Irish 2-0.
Rise to glory
Hailed as a club legend, Robson had an equally successful international career as a player. He has an enviable goal tally for a midfielder. And his mercurial presence at the midfield benefitted England.
He had many iconic moments in the international stage but his biggest disappointment was to miss out on a large part of the 1986 World Cup. An injury in the group stages kept him out in England’s famous campaign which ended in the quarter due to the individual brilliance of Diego Maradona. It was deja vu for Robson in 1990 as England did much better without their most important player. The three lions managed to reach the semi-finals before losing to Germany and Italy to finish fourth
Club career
Robson spent his youth and about the first six years of his professional career at West Brom. He developed a niche at central midfield and was loved by the Potters for his indomitable fighting spirit and knack for scoring goals. Injuries were a major part of Robson’s career but he never let an injury slow him down. Three leg breaks in a season put his football career in jeopardy. But Robson made a return and that too in style. He scored 40 goals in close to 200 league games before joining Manchester United at £1.5 million in 1981, making him the record signing of that time.
Robson epitomized the box-to-box midfield role and was a great guiding influence on the future Red Devil legend Roy Keane. He holds the recognition for the longest-serving captain for the Red Devils and led them to two Premier League titles.
Managerial career
After retirement, Robson has taken up management. It has been a mixed bag for “Robbo” which includes a disappointing but ultimately face saving spell at boyhood club West Ham. He has also coached the Thailand national football team.
