Jose Mourinho has hailed mentor Sir Bobby Robson as a 'beautiful human being' who the Roma boss felt 'very privileged' to work alongside.
Mourinho already knew a lot about Sir Bobby's achievements in the game with Ipswich, England and PSV when the Portuguese first started working as his translator at Sporting Lisbon in 1992. However, Sir Bobby went on to teach his protégée so much about football, life and the spirit of the North East.
So much so, Mourinho considers himself a 'little Magpie' to this day because, through Sir Bobby, the 59-year-old always felt a connection to Newcastle United after the Geordie told the Portuguese all about his pilgrimage from Langley Park to St James' Park as a young boy. Mourinho has never forgotten those stories or, indeed, how Sir Bobby opened doors for him as his assistant at Porto and Barcelona before he went it alone and became one of the most decorated managers in history.
