World of Football Reacts to Robson's Death

He got them into the Champions League and look where they are now. So it's a testament to him. He was a great man, a great person and he will be sorely missed

Steve McClaren - Speaking to Sky Sports
To be so successful and to be loved by everybody, well that is special and that says something about the man. The game will be worse for Sir Bobby Robson leaving us. I think the key thing from him was the passion for the game - when I saw him two months ago that passion was still there, he was still sharp and talking about football so enthusiastically.

When you start out in any career, you look at role models and you say I would love to have a career like him. When you look at his career, well ever coach will hope they have a career like him. He always gave me great advice and upon leaving the England job he advised me to go over to Holland - it was the best advice I have ever had.

Ray Wilkins - Speaking to Sky Sports
I'm absolutely devastated. He was an absolute gentleman and you don't come across too many people like Bobby in this world. I'm sure the whole football world will be devastated as well, he was a smashing guy and lived his life with humility.

I'll always remember when I spoke to Albert Ferrer after he came to Chelsea about Bobby when he was manager of Barcelona. He said the players just wanted to run a bit further for him and I think that just sums him up."

Glenn Hoddle - Speaking to Sky Sports
Playing under him, he was a very endearing man and you endeared yourself to him. He was quite a comical man - not knowingly sometimes - and a wonderful football man. You could see the respect the players gave him, around the world. The respect was worldwide.

Don Howe - Speaking to Sky Sports
When you got to know Bobby and the way he conducted himself, you could always sense his discipline and his standards. Everyone remembers Maradona and the 'Hand of God' and the huge outcry over that, but Sir Bobby always kept his calm.

You can imagine what the dressing room was like with all the players upset that the referee had not seen the hand - Bobby just kept his cool all the way through it. He accepted that sometimes you get a decision from a referee that you have to just take. Sometimes you don't get the run of the ball - he always presented himself spot on and was first class.

Freddy Shepherd - Speaking to Sky Sports
He was the elder statesman of world football. No matter where he went in the world - we went to China and we had a crowd of three thousand waiting for his autograph. He was always recognised.

He was too crafty for me, I could not play him but he certainly knew how to play me - 99 times out of a hundred he got what he wanted. Letting him go; it was a board decision and I had to carry out what the board decided. It was very sad day for me and although I had to do it I never really fell out with him. We kept in touch and were great friends. He was football, and he had time for everyone.

Jose Mourinho
I have no words to speak about Mr Robson. That's why for a few months I have been unable to talk to him. It is difficult to accept such a person is no longer with us - but he is immortal because he leaves in everybody who knows him a mark of his personality - a great coach but, more than that, a great person.

Roger Osbourne - Speaking to Sky Sports
Simply he was a workaholic. He would turn up at Ipswich at 9am and leave at 1am the next morning. He did that for 12-13 years, he was always at the club.

It was quite easy for him to tell me I was dropped because he was forever dropping me. We had a small squad at the time and it was very close knit. He got it like that and players who tended to play for him tended to do it for 10-11 years - we had testimonial after testimonial.

He came from Fulham where he was unfortunately sacked but he was a very determined young man. Everybody at Ipswich just took to Bobby and they loved him down this part of the country. We had the 30th year anniversary of the FA Cup final last year and Bobby came down for that. We went around the town in an open-top bus and we did say at the time that the crowds had not come to see us, they came to see Bobby."

Gary Lineker - Speaking to BBC Sport
I was deeply saddened to hear of Bobby Robson's death. He was a great football man. He had a tremendous enthusiasm and passion for football and life and continued to retain this right to the last days of his life.

He will be deeply missed by everyone, especially those who played for him. I have the fondest memories of playing for him at two World Cups.

In recent years he undertook a great deal of work for his cancer charity and raised the profile considerably in addition to the monies raised.

Kieron Dyer - Via Sky Sports
I only found out five minutes before the game (against Beijing Guoan) that he'd passed away, but they wanted me to play and I'm glad I did. It didn hit home (during the minute's silence) that he was gone and I think back home instead of a minute's silence, I would like to see a minute's applause to celebrate what he brought to the game of football.

He was a wonderful man and when I was at Newcastle he took a real shine to me with the Ipswich connection and was like a father to me.

When we were at Newcastle, we had a squad of 25 players and everyone was happy; in today's football with the multi-millionaire primadonnas that's very hard to do. He was a fighter, he beat cancer numerous times and I thought he would do it again - but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

Jack Charlton
He was a man dedicated to getting to know what other teams were like and he always used to be at football matches and I used to go to football matches. We just used to bump into each other, say hello, 'how's your mother doing?', that kind of thing. Geordie lads always stick together.

He got the England job, which tells you how well he'd done. But my memory of Bob will always be when they lost to Germany in that penalty shoot-out and they put a camera on him and he just looked at it and shook his head. He never caused any aggravation, he never said bad things about the players, he was just very good with people.

I've got fond memories of Bob. I've got a picture here I was going to get him to sign for me, but I kept forgetting to take it with me - I wish I had now. But he was a good lad and a good friend of mine and it was a bit of a blow this morning - but it was expected.

Prince William
I am deeply saddened to hear about Sir Bobby Robson's death. His contribution to English football as a player, manager and superb ambassador for our national game has been immense. He will be sadly missed by football fans everywhere, and I am thinking about his family at this difficult time.

Fabio Capello
Sir Bobby was a wonderful man, a real gentleman. I remember very well the times I managed my teams against him. The first time being when Bobby was manager of Barcelona and I was in my first season with Real Madrid. Later, when he was Newcastle manager and I was with Roma we faced each other - as opponents, but always friends. "Earlier this year I spent some time with Bobby when he opened the new cancer treatment centre, which he worked so hard to raise funds for.

Sir Trevor Brooking
I knew him as a player when he was at Ipswich and he was a very good friend of Ron Greenwood, almost a coaching disciple of his. Ron brought him into the England structure with the B team and he was then his successor to take over as the manager. The 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany will always be remembered and I think whoever won that game would have beaten Argentina in the final.

Stuart Pearce
I cannot think of anyone in the game who was held in higher esteem. It was an absolute privilege and honour for me to work with him.

Barcelona Football Club
Barcelona is in mourning. During his period with the club, Robson won the affection of all Cules (Barca supporters). He is a true legend of world football.

Tony Blair
Sir Bobby was one of the nicest, most caring and genuine people I ever met - a real Geordie gentleman. He was, of course, an outstanding coach, but he was also immensely generous with his time and energy across a range of charitable activities. It was a privilege to have known him.

Sir Alex Ferguson - Via League Managers Association
I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely and unconditionally. In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend; a wonderful individual; a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed

The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile; always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems. The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let's hope it won't be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them