Latest news with #GeorgeRobledo
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Newcastle United legend George Robledo immortalised in new book
'My father never forgot Newcastle United' 9 minutes ago Share Save Andy Watson BBC News, North East and Cumbria Share Save BBC Elizabeth Robledo wearing her father George's 1951 Newcastle FA cup final jacket The daughter of Newcastle United's first overseas player has said he would be "very proud" of a book written about his life and career. The new book, called Postcards from Santiago, chronicles George Robledo's life, from his early years in Chile to his prominent playing career. He lifted back-to-back FA Cups with the Magpies, the first in 1951 and the second when he scored the winner against Arsenal at Wembley a year later. "In a world where footballers are superstars, my dad was just normal and I think the book highlights that," Elizabeth Robledo said. Handout George Robledo (centre-left) scored 82 times for Newcastle United between 1949 and 1953 Robledo came to England from Chile as a child in the early 1930s with his mother and brother Ted Robledo, who also played for Newcastle. Ms Robledo said: "He loved his time in Newcastle and never forgot the city and I know the fans call it the glorious '50s." During the 1951-52 season, he set a record for most goals scored by an overseas player in English football - a record which stood for almost 50 years. Sports journalist and author Spencer Vignes heard a stat about Robledo during a pub quiz and knew he wanted to write the book. "He was the first South American to win the FA Cup, he was the first South American to score in the FA Cup. He was a trailblazer and deserves to be remembered," Mr Vignes said. Elizabeth Robledo hugs supporter David Kemp, who wore his Robledo strip to the book signing in Newcastle Robledo died in April 1989 but is still fondly remembered by Newcastle fans, who flocked to the city's Back Page book shop to pick up their copies of his biography. Fans hugged and thanked Ms Robledo when arriving at the book store. David Kemp, from Brampton in Cumbria, said: "He was my favourite player growing up as a kid, he was for me what Bruno [Guimaraes] is to kids nowadays." "I've been very emotional, I know my father would be very proud," Ms Robledo said. Follow BBC Newcastle on X , Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
George Robledo: Newcastle great with a record beyond Salah and Henry
It was a question that had everyone in the room stumped, almost to the point of silence. 'Who holds the record for the most league goals scored by an overseas player in the top flight of English football in a single season?' I felt as if I should know the answer, having written about sport for the vast majority of my adult life. But I didn't. There I was, appearing as a guest at the Brighton branch of Sporting Memories, a UK charity which encourages older people to meet and reminisce through talking about sport, and I'd seemingly been exposed as a total fraud. A few educated guesses had been made initially by the 20 or so members who'd gathered to hear me talk about my latest book before getting down to the far more serious business of their weekly Monday morning quiz. Thierry Henry? Cristiano Ronaldo? What about Dennis Bergkamp? Or Luis Suárez? One by one our quizmaster, the former England rugby union international, cricketer and BBC broadcaster Alastair Hignell, batted away each incorrect answer including my own shot at restoring some professional pride (Mohamed Salah, just in case you were wondering). Gradually, the suggestions became little more than shots in the dark. Robin van Persie? Gianfranco Zola? Not Ricky Villa, surely? Robert Pires? Until, in David Ginola's wake, the well of potential candidates ran dry and an air of befuddlement fell across the group. Maybe it was the presence of the former Wales and Newcastle United goalkeeper Dave Hollins in the room that did it, but out of the blue someone came up with a name, the correct name at that – George Robledo. George Robledo! Yes, YES! … and it all came flooding back. Some 20 or so years previously, I'd covered a Newcastle United game at St James' Park during the managerial reign of Bobby Robson, often cited as one of the nicest guys to walk the earth, let alone work in football. The post-match press conference had ended but Robson continued talking to some of us hacks who weren't on a deadline about his heroes, the ones he'd watched playing for Newcastle while growing up in north-east England in the years immediately after the second world war. He mentioned Jackie Milburn – I knew about him. He mentioned Joe Harvey – I knew about him, too. But then Robson said another name which meant absolutely nothing to me. That name was George Robledo. Clocking a couple of blank expressions in our midst, Robson gave us George Robledo in a nutshell. I wasn't taking notes, just listening intently, but this much I do recall – he'd come as a boy from Chile to Yorkshire, worked as a miner before becoming a professional footballer, and scored lots of goals for several clubs (including Newcastle's winner against Arsenal in the 1952 FA Cup final, a picture of which painted by the 11-year-old John Lennon would later appear on the cover of the former Beatle's 1974 solo album, Walls and Bridges). I also recollect Robson saying he saw plenty of George Robledo in Alan Shearer. Praise indeed, as anyone who remembers Shearer in his pomp would acknowledge. On the long drive back to my home in Cardiff, I thought a lot about George. Here was someone who scored 33 league goals for Newcastle in the First Division (or the Premier League in today's money) during the 1951-52 season. No overseas-registered, foreign-born player had reached that number before, and no overseas-registered, foreign-born player has reached that number since (although Mohamed Salah is doing his level best to change this). At the time of my visit to Brighton (January 2023) Manchester City's Norway international Erling Haaland was on course to break George's record, a feat Planet Football has since decreed he achieved. But then, as one extremely clued-up member of that Sporting Memories group had pointed out, Haaland was born in Leeds. As in Leeds, England, where his father once played football. Going by the rules of geography George is, as I write, still the record holder. Splitting hairs? Maybe, maybe not. It all depends how accurate, or perhaps pedantic, you want to be. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Either way, there were two undeniable truths about George Robledo. One, he had clearly been a phenomenal football player. And two, his remarkable achievements seemed to have been almost completely forgotten in his adopted country. On reaching Cardiff, I fired up my laptop to see whether a book had been written about George, partly because I wanted to read one, and partly (the greater part, admittedly) because I felt a sudden calling and fancied having a go myself. No such book existed. So I went for it, blind at that stage to what exactly I was taking on but determined to unearth the treasure that was, and remains, George Robledo. The catch about unearthing something long hidden is that besides all the 'wonderful things', as Howard Carter described the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb on first sight, you can also chance upon plenty of heartache. And so it would prove with George. Aged six, he and his two younger brothers had been abandoned by their father on the very day the Robledo family was due to set sail from Chile to start a new life in England. One of those brothers, Ted, who would also become a professional footballer and sign for Newcastle, was later murdered in mysterious circumstances in the Middle East, his body supposedly thrown into the Gulf from an oil tanker. There was also the brother George never knew, the result of a clandestine meeting in Hull between his mother and the father who, years before, had walked out of his life at the drop of a hat in Chile. The baby was given up by his mother and raised in a children's home. And yet, as befits someone who grew up surrounded by poverty and worked in a Yorkshire mine as a Bevin Boy during the second world war, George never regarded himself as a victim. As a young man his creative feats at inside forward for Barnsley turned him into a local hero and secured a transfer to Newcastle in 1949. The following year he became the first Football League player from outside the British Isles to face England in an official international, acting as Chile's talisman when the nations met at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. In 1951 George was the first South American to play in an FA Cup final as Newcastle defeated Blackpool 2-0 at Wembley. Twelve months later he scored the only goal as the Magpies saw off Arsenal to retain the trophy. In 1953, driven by a desire to travel and with the maximum wage still in force in English football, George returned to Chile to sign for Colo-Colo, the country's most successful club, more than doubling his weekly income. To quote George's only child, Elizabeth Robledo: 'That's pretty good going for someone born in the Atacama desert, probably the driest, most inhospitable place on Earth, and I don't think my dad ever lost sight of that.' Postcards From Santiago – The George Robledo Story by Spencer Vignes is published by Biteback (£20). To support the Guardian and the Observer buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply.
BBC News
06-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Newcastle United star and FA Cup winner's shirt sold for £7,000
The shirt worn by the winning goalscorer in the 1952 FA Cup final has been sold at auction for £7, United's George Robledo scored the winning goal against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, securing the club the trophy for the sixth simple black and white striped shirt, which features a large collar, cuffed sleeves and the club's badge, was sold to a private was one of about 50 items linked to the club which were sold by auctioneers Graham Budd. Before the sale, the auction house's head of sporting memorabilia David Convery estimated the shirt could have fetched between £7,000 and £10, described the cotton top as looking like a "nightshirt" and said it would have been heavy for the players to wear if it rained. Robledo was born in Chile and was the first South American to play professional football in Britain. He set the record for the most goals scored by an overseas player in English football, which stood for almost 50 years. The oldest shirt in the auction was worn by Robert Clark in the 1927-28 season and sold for £6, notable sales included a replica Stewart Barrowclough shirt from the 1976 League Cup Final, which went for £2,600. Mr Convery said it was a "rare shirt" and it had short sleeves despite Barrowclough wearing long sleeves on the newest shirt to go under the hammer was worn by current star Alexander Isak against Tottenham Hotspur on 4 January. It was sold for £650. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Historic Newcastle United shirts falling under hammer for thousands
Three historic Newcastle United shirts are up for auction today, drawing thousands of pounds for the highly-collectable memorabilia. The sporting items, dating back to 1952, 1927-28, and a 1976 League Cup Final shirt, are part of a four-day themed auction by Graham Budd Auctions. George Robledo's No 10 shirt, worn during the 1952 FA Cup final, is one of the key highlights. George Robledo's No 10 shirt (Image: Graham Budd Auctions) The shirt, which was worn when Newcastle defeated Arsenal 1-0 with Robledo scoring the winning goal, has already attracted a bid of £4,200. The shirt, which was previously owned by Robledo's daughter, Elizabeth, is expected to fetch between £7,000 and £10,000. The listing states it also comes with black Umbro shorts. Robert Clark's black and white long-sleeved shirt (Image: Graham Budd Auctions) Robert Clark's black and white long-sleeved shirt from the 1927-28 season is another notable item. The shirt, bearing the inscription 'League Champions Division 1 1926-27', has attracted a bid of £2,200. The shirt, which comes with a letter from the player's grandson, is estimated to sell for between £3,500 and £5,000. A spare shirt issued to Stewart Barrowclough (Image: Graham Budd Auctions) A spare shirt issued to Stewart Barrowclough for the 1976 League Cup Final, in which Newcastle played Manchester City, is also up for grabs. The short-sleeved black and white No. 4 shirt, also estimated to fetch between £2,500 and £3,500, has received a bid of £1,500. The match held on February 28 ended with City defeating United 2-1. The four-day auction, which takes place in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, includes the Jack Jennings Collection, Olympic torches, medals and trophies, classic, vintage, and modern shirts, programmes, bound volumes, and much more. Bidders are being reminded of a 24 per cent buyer's premium on top of their winning bid. For more information visit
BBC News
23-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Newcastle United match winner's 1952 FA Cup final shirt to be sold
The shirt worn by George Robledo when he scored his match-winning goal for Newcastle United in the 1952 FA Cup Final will be sold at auction next month. It is one of about 50 items linked to the club in the sale, said auctioneers Graham Chilean star scored the only goal in the victory over Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. The shirt is expected to sell for between £7,000 and £10,000, the auction house's head of sporting memorabilia David Convery said. The cotton shirt almost looks like a "night shirt", he said."If it rained back then, it would have been a heavy thing to wear."Robledo came to England as a child in the early 1930s and set a record for most goals scored by an overseas player in English football - a record which stood for almost 50 years. He was the first South American to play professional football in Britain alongside his brother Ted. Mr Convery said the oldest Newcastle United match shirt being sold was worn by Robert Clark during the 1927-1928 season."It's not like these days," he said. "[This shirt] would have been taken back and laundered and laundered."It is expected to sell for between £3,500 and £5,500, he said. Meanwhile the newest shirt being sold was worn by Alexander Isak when he scored the winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year. It is expected to sell for between £250 to £350, said Mr Convery. The auction takes place between 3 and 6 March. The sale comes ahead of Newcastle United's latest trip to Wembley Stadium where they play Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on 16 March. The club have not won a domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup. Follow BBC Newcastle on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
