Bryan Robson
The original Captain Marvel
| Full name: | Bryan Robson OBE |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | January 11, 1957 |
| Clubs played for: | West Brom, Manchester United, Middlesbrough |
| Clubs managed: | Middlesbrough, Bradford, West Brom, Sheffield United |
Club Career
One of Ron Atkinson's first moves as Manchester United manager was to return to West Brom to sign his midfield general, Bryan Robson. He joined United in October 1981 for a then British record fee of £1.5million and went on to make almost 500 appearances for the club, winning a number of major honours, before seeing out his playing career at Middlesbrough in May 1994.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-81 | West Brom | 198 | 40 |
| 1981-94 | Manchester United | 345 | 74 |
| 1994-96 | Middlesbrough | 25 | 1 |
International Career
England's on-field leader during the 1980s, he played in three World Cups (1982, 1986 and 1990) as well as the European Championship finals in 1988, and would have won many more than his 90 caps were it not for the large number of injuries he sustained as a result of his all-action, combative playing style.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-91 | England | 90 | 26 |
Managerial Career
Robson's managerial career got off to a swashbuckling start, steering Middlesbrough into the Premier League. He brought Brazilians Juninho and Emerson to Teesside, but neither could rescue Boro from relegation in 1997, although they did reach two cup finals that season. Robson took the club back to the top, but in 2000, a run of bad results saw Terry Venables parachuted in to help out. Robson resigned in 2001 and, since then, has had unsuccessful spells at Bradford, West Brom and Sheffield United.
Key Games
England 3-1 France (World Cup group stage, June 16, 1982)
England made the perfect start to their World Cup campaign in Spain as they beat France 3-1, thanks largely to a magnificent midfield performance from Bryan Robson. The captain opened the scoring after just 27 seconds - the quickest goal in World Cup history at the time - and he then added a second, to cancel out a French equaliser, before Paul Mariner completed the scoring with a third goal.
Manchester United 4-0 Brighton (FA Cup final replay, May 26, 1983)
Bryan Robson picked up his first trophy as United captain as the Red Devils emphatically claimed the FA Cup at the second time of asking, following a 2-2 draw in the first meeting five days previously. Robson himself scored twice, with the other goals coming from Norman Whiteside and an Arnold Muhren penalty, as United marked the occasion of Sir Matt Busby's 74th birthday in perfect fashion.
Manchester United 3-0 Barcelona (European Cup-Winners' Cup quarter-final 2nd leg, March 21, 1984)
Bryan Robson inspired United to a magnificent comeback as they recovered from a 2-0 defeat in the Nou Camp to book a place in the last four with a stunning 3-0 win at Old Trafford. Typically, it was Robson who led the fightback with two goals, totally eclipsing Barcelona's superstar Diego Maradona, before Frank Stapleton forced home the crucial third goal.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Premier League | 1992-93, 1993-94 |
| FA Cup | 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994 | |
| League Cup | 1992 | |
| European Cup-Winners' Cup | 1992 | |
| Middlesbrough (as manager) | First Division Championship | 1994-95 |
Did You Know...?
Only Bobby Moore and Billy Wright have captained England on more occasions than the 65 times Robson led his country.
Bryan Robson was the only player in the 20th century to captain three FA Cup-winning teams - in 1983, 1985 and 1990.
Robson earned an inscribed Seiko watch for scoring the fastest goal at the 1982 World Cup, which he still occasionally wears.
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