Sir Robert William Robson CBE (born 18 February 1933), commonly known as Sir Bobby Robson (IPA: /ˈbɒbi ˈrɒbsən/), is a former international football player and former manager of several European clubs and the England national football team. His professional playing career as an inside-forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for just three clubs – Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and briefly for the defunct Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals. He is now better known for his success as both a club and international manager, having won league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup. He was most recently a mentor to the manager of the Irish national football team. Robson was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002, is a