Jose Mourinho is donating the most prestigious personal trophy of his glittering career to a charity auction in memory of Sir Bobby Robson, his mentor at Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.
Real Madrid's Portuguese manager, 48, was award Fifa’s Ballon D’Or World Coach of the Year award in 2010, the year he won the Champions’ League with Inter Milan. He beat off competition from World Cup winner Vicente Del Bosque and rivals including Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson to pick up the award.
Now he is donating the trophy he received to become a lot in Sir Bobby's Breakthrough Auction, which runs online from 8-23 October. The auction, and a charity ball next month in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, will jointly raise funds for the Sir Bobby Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
Mourinho has recognised the part Sir Bobby played in his own football development by giving the wonderful money-can’t-buy prize – to the delight of organisers and the Robson family alike.
Sir Bobby’s son, Mark, says: "The entire family is completely astounded by this generous gift from Mr Mourinho. We are thrilled and so thankful to him. My Dad would have been so proud by the way all the different clubs and football managers around the world are pulling together by contributing such incredible prizes."
The auction has attracted over 100 prizes and is also being supported by HRH the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron.
Auction founder Gina Long adds: "When I started planning the auction, I could only have dreamt that I would get support from such magnificent people and great companies.
"But now that has been turned into reality, it can only help us achieve our goal of raising more than £250,000 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer."
Other 'money can't by' auction prizes include:
- Join Fabio Capello at an England Senior Men’s training session
- Attend the Professional Footballers’ Association Awards ceremony
- VIP Manchester United tickets donated by Sir Alex Ferguson
- A morning on Newmarket Heath with ten times Champion Trainer Sir Michael Stoute
- A personal tour of Alnwick Castle given by the Duchess of Northumberland
- Tickets to Centre Court at Wimbledon
- Tickets to The Masters snooker final in 2012, with the chance to meet the players
- A personally addressed and signed replica helmet, donated by Lewis Hamilton
- A rare limited edition of Pele’s autobiography, signed by the man himself
