Source: Daily_Mail
Train with Lionel Messi? Sir Bobby Robson's Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer auction
Start bidding now! To see the full Sir Bobby Breakthrough Auction list, click here. You can also keep track on Twitter here.Would you like go training with Lionel Messi and his superstar team-mates at Barcelona, arguably the greatest club team the world has ever known? Or own the most significant personal trophy ever landed by Jose Mourinho, the most successful coach of his generation and already an all-time great?How about meeting Chelsea's manager, Andre Villas-Boas? Or Fabio Capello while being a special guest at England training? Or mixing with the cream of English football at the most glittering night in the game's social calendar? Superstar: You could train with Lionel Messi and co at BarcelonaYou now have the chance to do all of the above and to taste many other unique sporting experiences as part of the greatest sports auction ever staged. Sir Bobby's Breakthrough Auction, which the Mail on Sunday is proud to support, will raise funds in memory of the late, great England manager Sir Bobby Robson, who was a revered columnist for this newspaper.Sir Bobby died in 2009 at the age of 76 after fighting cancer for a number of years, and the auction of more than 150 'money can't buy' lots runs until October 23 The biggest names in global football have contributed auction lots in Sir Bobby's honour, including David Beckham, Messi's Barcelona, Pele and Real Madrid coach Mourinho, who has donated his award as last year's Fifa Coach of the Year for winning the Champions League with Inter Milan to the auction.Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who played at the Camp Nou under Robson's management, summed up the esteem in which Sir Bobby is held when he said: 'For us as club, and for myself, it is an honour to participate. I encourage everybody in England and around the world to Sir Bobby's Breakthrough Auction.' Stars from many sports have contributed, from the cricketers of England and India who contested the summer's thrilling series that sent England to No 1 Test nation in the world to top racehorse trainer Sir Michael Stoute and leading clubs and organisations across rugby, tennis, motor sport, horse racing and equestrianism. Dozens of leading football clubs are offering VIP days at games, often involving meeting managers or players and tours behind the scenes. Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, Tottenham's Harry Redknapp and Leicester's former England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson are among those who have contributed auction prizes in tribute to Sir Bobby. The Sir Bobby Breakthrough Auction and Ball will be held 30 years after one of Robson's greatest footballing achievements, winning the UEFA Cup with Ipswich Town in 1981.The auction is supported by the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron and founder Gina Long said: 'When I started planning the auction, I could only have dreamed 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.' Legend: Sir Bobby was loved around the worldDavid Sheepshanks, former chairman of Ipswich Town and a committee member for Sir Bobby's charities, paid tribute to Gina's work on the project and said: 'The word perseverance could have been coined for Gina, who has done fantastically well to involve and enthuse so many people from inside and outside the world of football for this cause.'But of course this has been possible because of the deep well of love, affection and esteem in which Sir Bobby was held by some many people. He was uniquely adored.'My view is that most people support a charity either because it is intensely personal to them, or because it pulls on the heart strings or because they feel obligated for another reason.'The fantastic charities which we're raising money for now help people with an illness that has affected or will affect virtually everybody, which makes it personal, and does pull at the heart strings.'But Sir Bobby adds another dimension because he was so wonderfully passionate about everything he did, so generous, and made such an impact on everyone that he met, that many, many people also feel it is only fitting to support causes he supported.' +++Top 20 lots+++Train with Messi and BarcelonaAttend training at Barcelona, meet the stars including Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas, and receive a first-team signed shirt from manager Pep Guardiola, before attending a Barca home game.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionOwn Jose Mourinho's trophyReal Madrid's manager has donated his 2010 FIFA World Coach of the Year trophy, won for leading Inter Milan to Champions League glory. Buy it for your mantelpiece.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionBe Fabio's England guestTwo people to attend, as guests of Fabio Capello, an England training session ahead of the international fixture next February. Capello will present the winning bidder with an England 2012 football shirt.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionA night at the PFA AwardsTickets for two people as guests of PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor to the biggest occasion in football's social calendar, when the stars gather for the Player of the Year awards.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionVIP day with Manchester UnitedTwo VIP tickets with hospitality for United's home game against Bolton on January 14, together with a separate tour of Old Trafford and a United photograph signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and personalised to the winner.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionOwn a piece of cricket historyA bat signed by the England and India teams, including Andrew Strauss and Sachin Tendulkar, who contested the series when England became No 1 Test nation in the world.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionYour own talkSPORT breakfastJoin Alan Brazil and former England cricketer Ronnie Irani for the last hour of the talkSPORT breakfast show, go behind the scenes and then off to lunch in the West End with Alan.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionThe Chelsea ExperienceA Chelsea football shirt with Sir Bobby printed on the back and signed by the Chelsea team, presented at Stamford Bridge by manager Andre Villas-Boas.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionTraining with Sir Michael StouteTwo guests to enjoy a morning on Newmarket Heath with Sir Michael Stoute, followed by breakfast at Sir Michael's home.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionOwn David Beckham's shirtAn LA Galaxy shirt and adidas football, signed and personalised to the winning bidder, plus a photograph of Beckham signing the shirt.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionHarry's Spurs shirtA Tottenham Hotspur shirt signed by the first team squad, presented at the club's training ground by manager Harry Redknapp.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionA week in the BahamasA week's luxury holiday at the Grand Lucayan Bahamas Beach & Golf, flights included.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionDrinks with SvenFour tickets to a Leicester City home match and drinks afterwards with manager Sven Goran Eriksson.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionMeet the Red Arrows VIP Day for two people at RAF Scampton, home of the red Arrows. Sit in on the pilots' pre-sortie briefing and, subject to weather conditions, watch them practise.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionPlay celebrity golf in PortugalPlay golf with the stars in the annual charity tournament in memory of Sir Bobby in Portugal. Includes two celebrity dinners.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionVIP box at the Stadium of LightPrivate box, with balcony and three-course meal, for 10 people at the Sunderland v Blackburn game on December 10.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionSigned copy of Pele's bookRare limited edition autobiography of Pele: The World's Greatest Footballer. This weighty tome is presented in a beautifully coloured case.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionPlay at Portman Road A unique chance for two bidders to provide teams to play a match at Ipswich Town, Sir Bobby's former club, after coaching by club legends.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionSpend a night as lord of the manorExclusive use of Woodhall Manor, a privately owned country house dating from 1566 and set in beautiful Suffolk countryside, with overnight accommodation for 25 guests.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionSnooker with the MastersTwo tickets for the final of The Masters snooker at Alexandra Palace, London, on January 22. Meet the players and receive signed cues from the two finalists.Click here to bid for this prize in the auctionPLUS. Champions League final tickets, VIP football days at Watford, Fulham, QPR, Swansea, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Wolves, Derby, Manchester City, Millwall, Doncaster, Burnley, Bolton, Newcastle and Everton; Six Nations; Wimbledon and much, much more. Click here for a full guide to the Sir Bobby Breakthrough auction itemsFollow all the latest updates from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation