31.07.2009 13:05
“He showed how to win with a smile”
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Those are the words of Gica Popescu, captain of FC Barcelona in the 96/97 season, who Bobby Robson brought from Romania to Holland and later made captain of Barça.
Gica Popescu and José Ramón Alexanco were both part of Robson’s team at FC Barcelona, the
former on the field, the latter on the bench. Speaking to the club today, they remembered the
Englishman’s qualities, both in a sporting and personal sense.
A true gent
Having learned today of the death of Bobby Robson, the Barça captain during
his year as manager of the club, Gica Popescu, has spoken about the great man. “He was an
exceptional person, a true gentleman who won some very important titles with all of his
teams”.
“He showed you could win with a smile, not just shouting”, explained Gica Popescu
in reference to Robson’s affable and respectful nature. “He always spoke well of his
players and with a smile, it was always the image he gave. It is very hard to find managers like
him.”
Gratitude
“The best thing that ever happened to me in football was becoming captain of FC
Barcelona and it was he who made me captain. I owe that honour to Bobby Robson” said the
Romanian.
Popescu always had a very special relationship with Robson: “It was him, in 1990, who
brought me from Romania to play for PSV Eindhoven. We won two titles there, and in his year at
Barça we won 3 of the 4 titles at stake”.
On the bench with Alexanco
The current youth football coordinator at FC
Barcelona, José Ramón Alexanco, was third manager in that season of 96/97. He worked alongside
Bobby Robson, who he remembers as “a man that everyone loved, he had a sensational way of
dealing with football and everybody around him”.
“He put together one of the best squads Barça has ever had, we won several titles, but
he couldn’t continue the work he was doing for long because of the arrival of Van
Gaal”.