Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match
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The Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match was a charity football match played in honour of the former England and Newcastle United manager, Sir Bobby Robson, and in aid of his cancer charity, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Produced under licence by Toast Entertainment Group as The Legends it was played at St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on Sunday 26 July 2009. The match was described as the 'tear-jerker of the decade',[1] and proved to be Robson's last public appearance, as he died five days later on the morning of 31 July 2009 aged 76, having been suffering from cancer, his fifth diagnosis in his lifetime.[2] Early estimates were that the charity match raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Foundation which he set up in the last years of his life to fund cancer research in his native North East England.[3]
The match was pitched as a replay of an England 1990 FIFA World Cup match played under Robson's reign as manager and was to feature English and German players from the original 1990 World Cup squads.[4][5] England won the game 3–2 in normal time, watched by 33,000 spectators in the stadium, as well as being broadcast live by ITV4.[3][6][7][8][9]
The England team featured 6 of the original 1990 starting eleven, in addition to appearances from other 1990 English and German squad members, and other retired England and Newcastle United footballers, and selected celebrity guests.[8] England recovered from being 2–0 down after goals from Thomas Helmer and Fredi Bobic with goals from Les Ferdinand and Alan Thompson, to end the first half 2–2. England won the game after a second half penalty from Alan Shearer with 11 minutes to go.[7]