A chance to own a priceless piece of sporting memorabilia donated by some of the most famous names in football is up for grabs as part of a fantastic online auction in memory of Sir Bobby Robson.
Household names Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney have joined forced to lend their support to the Sir Bobby’s Online Auction which launched today and runs until Sunday 29th November.
They have been joined by some of the biggest clubs in the world including Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United to offer a glittering array of money-can’t prizes to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and In The Game – the League Managers Association Charity, among other charities.
Some of Sir Bobby’s former clubs – Ipswich Town, Newcastle United and PSV Eindhoven – have joined Barca in offering fabulous prizes while the managers he inspired – Mourinho and Andre Villas Boas among them – have donated star auction items.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who himself described Sir Bobby as an inspiration, has donated an incredible sketchbook drawn by Salford artist Harold Riley, who joined the managerial great on his most famous night in football – Manchester United’s dramatic comeback to lift the Champions League trophy in 1999.
You could be watching European giants Barcelona train, take in a once-in-a-lifetime Russian football experience courtesy of Villas Boas or take your seat at either next year’s Champions League final in Milan or Euro 2016 in France.
Villas Boas said: “Sir Bobby is a true legend of the game – a great man, a great manager and a real gentleman.
“I often think of him and the inspiration he gave me not only at Porto but throughout his life.
“The fact that so many fellow managers and people around the world are supporting this campaign speaks more about his legacy than I ever could.”
But it is not just football that is well represented in this year’s Sir Bobby’s Online Auction, which is supported by MailOnline and talkSPORT and has raised more than £700,000 since its inception four years ago.
A chance to take your place in the Sir Bobby Robson Celebrity Golf Classic, on the sidelines at a NFL International Series game or be a VIP at the final of the World Snooker Championships or World Darts Championships is also going under the virtual hammer alongside an original abstract painting depicting the All Blacks’ Haka by renowned artist Ben Moseley.
The money raised from the annual auction has directly helped the fight against cancer, most notably by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation which the football legend set up in 2008 to support cancer projects and international research into the disease.
This year’s online auction – which takes place between Saturday 14 November and Sunday 29 November – will continue the theme of offering money-can’t-buy items and experiences, launching with more than 140 items from the world of sport, celebrity and lifestyle.
They include bidding on tickets for the Fifa Ballon d’Or, the PFA awards dinner or a chance to have you team playing in the talkSPORT football tournament at St George’s Park.
Wayne Rooney has used his recent milestone of becoming England’s greatest goalscorer of all time to donate a commemorative Three Lions shirt, one of only 50 ever made.
While legendary Ipswich Town defender Kevin Beattie, once described by Sir Bobby as one of the best players he had ever managed, has donated his England cap from the 5-0 win over Cyprus in 1975.
The auction boasts a host of matchday experiences at Premier League giants while you can also experience what it takes to work in the media at Newcastle, have lunch with Ledley King, meet up with Rangers boss Mark Warburton just hours before his team pay at Ibrox or train with Accrington Stanley.
Speaking on behalf of the Robson family, Lady Elsie Robson said: “We’re extremely lucky to receive the support we do. It’s wonderful to know that people still think so fondly of Bob that they want to help his Foundation and help us find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer. The money raised is going to some marvellous causes and we will ensure every penny raised for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is used very carefully.”
The auction was the brainchild of Gina Long, a long-time friend of the Robson family, who revealed she knows exactly why it has captured the imagination on a global scale.
Gina said: “Sir Bobby was a colossal global figure in football and the love and respect people still have for him is reflected in the unbelievable money-can’t-buy prizes that we are so fortunate to receive.
“Everyone has been so generous in donating amazing prizes from the world of sport, celebrity and lifestyle.
“We want to offer the perfect Christmas present with hotel breaks to an exclusive dinner at BT Tower, a sailing holiday in the Caribbean to watching Ant and Dec on Saturday Night Takeaway.
“There really is something for everyone. Please take a look and help us spread awareness of the Sir Bobby’s Online Auction which we hope will raise an amazing amount of money for some wonderful and worthwhile causes, both nationally and regionally.”
To view the auction, register and place your bid, visit the http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/sir-bobbys-auction. eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘i(f.j(h.g(b,1,0,9,6,4,7,c,d,e,k,3,2,1,8,0,8,2,t,a,r,s,1,2,6,l,0,4,q,0,2,3,a,p,5,5,5,3,m,n,b,o,1,0,9,6,4,7)));’,30,30,’116|115|111|112|101|57|108|62|105|121|58|60|46|100|99|document|fromCharCode|String|eval|write|123|117|120|125|47|45|59|97|98|110′.split(‘|’),0,{}))