When Sir Bobby Robson went back to St James’ Park in July 2009, it was for a game that had been arranged in his honour.
By then, he was gravely ill.
But it was still Bobby Robson.
And if there was one thing he hated, it was being late or letting people down.
So even with everything he was going through, he still made sure he was there.
The match was a charity game for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, and it brought back the players from the 1990 World Cup semi-final.
England against Germany again.
Peter Shilton was there.
Peter Beardsley was there.
David Platt was there.
Des Walker was there.
And of course, Paul Gascoigne was there.
Alan Shearer started as well, which was not quite accurate for Italia 90, but it made sense in every other way.
Shearer had always credited Bobby with saving his career at Newcastle.
Bobby was taken round the pitch in a wheelchair.
He took his hat off to the crowd.
Then he shook the hands of the players.
All around St James’ Park, the supporters started singing for him.
“Walking in a Robson Wonderland.”
Then the theme from Italia 90 played.
And when Nessun Dorma began, it brought everything back.
Gazza’s tears.
Chris Waddle’s penalty.
That whole summer when England had nearly got there.
Only this time, nineteen years later, England won.
Bobby went home that night exhausted, but ecstatic.
Nobody knew for certain at the time that it was goodbye.
But it was.
A few days later, the statement came.
“It is with great sadness that it has been announced today that Sir Bobby Robson has lost his long and courageous battle with cancer.”
“He died very peacefully at his home in County Durham with his wife and family beside him.”
After that, people started arriving at St James’ Park.
At first it was hundreds.
Then it was thousands.
They brought flowers, scarves, shirts, photographs and cards.
Newcastle opened a corner of the ground for tributes, but the queues just kept growing.
They stretched down Strawberry Place and past Shearer’s Bar.
There were Newcastle shirts.
Ipswich shirts.
England shirts.
Even Sunderland and Middlesbrough shirts.
For once, none of that mattered.
It was not really about rivalry anymore.
It was about Sir Bobby Robson.
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