England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has spoken of his honour in supporting the Sir Bobby Robson online auction – while revealing the legendary manager once tried to sign him.
Rooney has used his record-breaking achievement of scoring 50 times for England to support the online auction.
The auction – which has attracted 140 lots from the world of sport, celebrity and lifestyle – runs until Sunday November 29 with Rooney joining the likes of Jose Mourinho, Theo Walcott and his former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in backing the global fundraiser.
Rooney said he was proud to support the auction by donating a commemorative England shirt marking his achievement as the Three Lions’ greatest goalscorer – one of only 50 made.
The England captain said: “Sir Bobby Robson was a football man to the core and someone who once tried to sign me for Newcastle.
“I only played against his teams on a few occasions. But as the England captain and a keen historian of the England team, I am aware of his impact as manager and as the most successful national team manager since Sir Alf Ramsey.
“I can remember vividly, even though I was only a small boy, the effect he had on the team during the World Cup in Italy 1990 when we came so close to making the final.
“I can think of no cause more relevant than Sir Bobby’s Auction and Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to receive one of only 50 special commemorative England shirts to mark the achievement.”
The winning bidder can also have a special dedication written on the shirt by Rooney, who broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s 45-year goalscoring record in September.
Rooney’s support of the Sir Bobby Robson Online Auction has seen him team up with his former Manchester United manager with Sir Alex Ferguson donating a rare tribute to his most famous night in football.
Sir Alex Ferguson has donated a sketchbook drawn by Salford artist Harold Riley chronicling Manchester United’s dramatic comeback to lift the Champions League trophy in 1999.
Speaking on behalf of the Robson family, Mark Robson said: “I know Dad would have loved to have had Wayne Rooney in one of his England teams.
“He adored Paul Gascoigne and his genius skills and Wayne is in that bracket.”
The auction has seen household names from the world of sport and beyond donate priceless pieces of sporting memorabilia.
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 Gina Long, a family friend from Suffolk, created it four years ago.
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.
Other beneficiaries from this year are the In The Game – League Manager’s Association Charity, the GeeWizz charitable foundation and West Suffolk Hospital Charity.
The family of brave Ipswich three-year-old George Woodward, who lives with a rare and incurable condition, will also be a beneficiary.
To view the auction, register and place your bid, visit www.sirbobbysauction.com
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