Jose really is the Special One: Madrid boss donates gong for Sir Bobby auction



Jose Mourinho has donated the most prestigious personal trophy of his glittering career to the charity auction in memory of Sir Bobby Robson, his mentor and boss at Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.



Real Madrid's Portuguese manager, 48, was awarded 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.



Special ones: Jose Mourinho will donate an award to the Sir Bobby Robson charity auction

Now he is donating the trophy he received as an auction lot in memory of Sir Bobby, a former Mail on Sunday columnist who died two years ago at the age of 76.



The online auction, from 8-23 October, and a charity ball next month will 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, said: ‘The entire family is completely astounded by this generous gift from Mr Mourinho.



Delighted: Sir Bobby Robson's son Mark thanked the Real Madrid manager for his kind donation

'We are so 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 such as this.’



The auction has also been supported by HRH the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron. Auction founder Gina Long added: ‘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.’

