A post-match chat with Bobby Robson. A trivia question in Brighton. Two moments that led Spencer Vignes to uncover the forgotten story of football legend George Robledo. In this look behind the scenes, Spencer shares the stories, surprises and discoveries that brought Robledo’s remarkable career and life back into the spotlight.
What is your first memory of George Robledo?
Many years ago, I covered a football match at St James’ Park in Newcastle at the time when Bobby Robson, one of the greatest English managers of all time, was in charge of the club. After he’d finished his post-match press conference, Bobby – who grew up in the north-east of England and supported Newcastle as a boy – started talking to some of us journalists about the players he’d idolised in his youth, one of whom was George Robledo. I’d never heard the name before, but it stuck with me. I remember thinking, ‘If Bobby Robson reckons he was one of the best players of the post-war generation, then he must have been pretty darned good.’
What inspired you to tell Robledo’s story and why has he been overlooked in football history?
A couple of years ago, I was at a quiz in Brighton and one of the questions was, ‘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?’ And it turned out the answer was George Robledo, which got me thinking about that post-match press conference with Bobby Robson. I went looking for a book about him, and it turned out there wasn’t one. Being a writer specialising in sport and cultural history, I didn’t really need a second invitation!
So many players from George’s generation have been forgotten about because there’s this horrible tendency now in Britain to airbrush large chunks of football history from the public consciousness. If it occurred before 1992, when the Premier League was launched, then it’s almost as if it never happened. It’s not like that in other countries, where football players and records from across the generations are celebrated. I was determined to put George back on the map.
What was the most surprising story you uncovered while interviewing Robledo’s family and admirers?
Oh my word, there are almost too many to mention. Some of the most incredible stories aren’t even related to football. The fact that George’s father walked out of his life just as the boat taking the Robledo family from Chile to a new life in England was about to leave port… well, that took some beating. It also kind of sets the template for so much of what followed in George’s life, in terms of triumphing over adversity.
How did Robledo end up on the cover of John Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges?
That’s a very good question. The short answer is that, at the age of eleven, John Lennon painted a picture of George scoring the winning goal for Newcastle United against Arsenal in the 1952 FA Cup final. Thankfully, he kept the picture and many years later chose it as the front cover of Walls and Bridges, which was one of his solo albums.
Which modern-day footballers live up to Robledo’s legacy?
Bobby Robson said that Alan Shearer, who’s retired now, reminded him of George in terms of their playing styles and the fact they were both Newcastle United icons. Having spent the past two years researching and writing about George, I can definitely see the comparisons.
Who would you like to star as George Robledo in a biopic film?
He was a good-looking fella was George, with the appearance of a matinee idol. If Antonio Banderas was twenty-five years younger, then it would be him.
Postcards from Santiago: The George Robledo Story – The First Overseas Star of English Football by Spencer Vignes is out 8 April.
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