Sir Bobby Robson. the bond between Barça and Newcastle

FC Barcelona will kick off their Champions League campaign with a trip to Newcastle United – a meeting between two clubs with little shared history, but one deeply significant link: Sir Bobby Robson. The Englishman left his mark on both institutions, albeit in very different ways – just one season at Barça, five years at St James’ Park – and yet his legacy remains undimmed. His arrival in Catalonia back in 1996 was no easy task either, stepping into the shoes of Johan Cruyff, a figure of almost mythical status at Camp Nou.

Robson and Ronaldo

Robson’s credentials were impeccable. He had taken England to a World Cup semi-final, won two Dutch titles with PSV, and added two Portuguese championships, two Super Cups and a domestic cup with Porto. So when Barça turned to him in the summer of 1996, he was tasked with managing a dressing room featuring Stoichkov, Guardiola, Figo, Luis Enrique… and a new Brazilian arrival by the name of Ronaldo.

That 1996/97 season would forever be remembered as Robson’s year – but above all, Ronaldo’s. Signed from PSV, the striker scored 47 goals in 51 games before moving on to Inter, his exploits seared into the collective memory of Culers.

Three trophies and a historic night

None of it, though, could be separated from Robson. Gentle, kind, and a master of man-management, he held together a dressing room with players from ten different nationalities and led them to a treble of trophies – the Cup Winners’ Cup, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

And then there was that night at Camp Nou. Having drawn 2-2 away to Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, Barça found themselves 3-0 down at home at half-time, all three goals scored by Milinko Pantic. Robson reshaped his side, stirred their hearts, and inspired a comeback that has gone down in folklore.

Ronaldo struck twice in quick succession, only for Pantic to make it 4-2. But then came the avalanche: Figo for 4-3, Ronaldo again for 4-4, and Pizzi with the winner, the stadium in raptures. The players delivered the miracle, but much of the credit belonged to Robson.

Pep Guardiola summed it up years later: “I learned then that you only notice a coach in the bad moments. And he was always smiling. I could never have reacted the way he did. That was the moment I started thinking I wanted to be a coach, because of how he managed that situation.”

Final years at home

After leaving Barça, Robson returned briefly to PSV before, in 1999, destiny handed him the job he had always dreamed of – manager of his boyhood club, Newcastle United. They were his final five years in the dugout, and he gave the Toon two seasons of Champions League football, including a meeting with Barça in 2003, when the visitors ran out 2-0 winners at St James’ Park thanks to goals from Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta.

That was the last encounter between the two clubs. Over two decades on, they meet again. Sir Bobby passed away in 2009 after his battle with cancer, but his memory endures – and as Barça prepare to face Newcastle once more, there can be no better time to remember a true English gentleman of the game.