Bryan Robson (1975–1997, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Middlesbrough and England)

Born in Chester-le-Street in 1957, Bryan Robson joined West Bromwich Albion as an apprentice in 1972 and made his first-team debut in April 1975 at the age of 18, scoring on his home debut a week later.

Two serious leg breaks threatened to derail his early career, but he recovered each time to become a central figure in the West Bromwich Albion side that finished third in the First Division in 1978-79 and reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, by then a regular in the number 7 shirt.

In October 1981 Manchester United signed him for £1.5 million, then a British record transfer fee. He went on to become the club’s longest-serving captain and one of the greatest players in its history, lifting the FA Cup three times, winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991 and claiming the league title in the first two seasons of the Premier League.

Injuries interrupted many of his campaigns, but his energy, leadership and goalscoring from midfield made him the heartbeat of the side across thirteen years.

For England, Robson won 90 caps between 1980 and 1991 and scored 26 goals, captaining his country 65 times and appearing at three World Cups and a European Championship.

Nicknamed Captain Marvel, he scored after just 27 seconds against France in England’s opening match at the 1982 World Cup, a strike widely credited as the fastest in World Cup finals history and one that stood as the record until 2002.

He became Middlesbrough’s player-manager in 1994, won promotion in his first season and made his final playing appearance in 1997, aged 39. He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

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Bryan Robson – Rookie Stickers, Cards and Significant Issues

Robson’s earliest items come from the sticker albums that dominated the British game in the late 1970s, issued while he was establishing himself at West Bromwich Albion.

He went on to appear in hundreds of releases, but the issues collectors chase trace his path from a young Albion midfielder to a Manchester United captain.

His earliest catalogued issues both date from the 1976-77 season:

• 1976-77 FKS Soccer Stars #344
• 1976-77 Panini Football Stickers (UK) #342

Significant issues across his playing career:

• 1977-78 FKS Soccer Stars #358
• 1977-78 Panini Football 78 #335
• 1978-79 Panini Football 79 #356
• 1981-82 Topps Footballer #171
• 1982-83 Panini Football 83 #174

See the 2003 Hall of Fame Inductees or browse the full list.