‘I was sick of picking up the paper reading about ex-teammates going bankrupt. I was like ”wow”… with the career you have had, how has that happened?’
Bryan Robson is on a crusade. In his playing days with Manchester United and England, he was revered by his peers as arguably the finest midfielder of a generation. Selflessly throwing himself into the battle to benefit his team.
Today, Captain Marvel, as he was known, has donned a new cape.
Saddened at seeing so many contemporaries fall into financial ruin, many at the hands of unscrupulous agents or opportunist chancers, Robson just had to act.
He had felt the pain first hand of a financial sting. He had been duped into investing £250,000 into a supposed Hilton hotel venture in Whistler, Canada that never got built.
And, worse still, he had lost £550,000 to HMRC in a film investment scheme that was supposed to give tax relief.
‘The moment they sign that first professional contract, footballers become a target,’ says Robson. ‘They are a cash cow for hangers-on, con artists and opportunists. It’s evil, they know what they’re doing.
‘I’ve seen it so many times, I’ve been taken in myself and I wish I hadn’t, it’s not right and I just had to do something about it.’
Bryan Robson remains a regular at Old Trafford and is now helping stars avoid some of the pitfalls of fame and fortune
Robson is pictured addressing Manchester United’s next crop of young stars
Robson, now 69, called on another former United player Simon Andrews, who had left the game to forge a career in financial advice, to be his sidekick.
Andrews had grown savvy to the hallmarks of football’s shysters who preyed on impressionable teenage players; the hidden agency fees on contracts, the inflated car finance deals and extra few thousand thrown on the latest ‘must-have’ watch.
Together they formed Xentum Sport and their mission has been to educate players how to spot the dangers and avoid the pitfalls.
‘The trouble is footballers are very proud,’ says Robson. ‘A lot of that’s down to the image you want to project of being a top player but, as a consequence, they are very reluctant to open up when they think they’ve been kidded out of money. They keep it to themselves rather than seek help immediately and then go on a downward spiral chasing money they can’t get back.
‘Some have ended up contemplating suicide, it has to stop. We hear so much about campaigns such as V11, former players who lost millions in dodgy property schemes. They’ve spent millions more trying to recover what they’ve lost.
‘I would have loved to have been able to help them but sadly, it’s too late,’ says Robson. ‘This is about preventing that from happening: educating players, being up front with them about costs and saying “get yourself a plan”. One where you stay within your means.’
To get that message across, Manchester United, naturally, were the first port of call for Robson.
Over dinner with INEOS chief finance officer Roger Bell, Robson brokered the idea of giving practical advice to the club’s young players.
Bell understood the value of such a project but telling young sportsmen to look after their money would be met with glazed, vacant looks. Who better to deliver the message than Robson, a man the players aspire to be and who manager Michael Carrick still invites in to watch first-team training.
Robson, with Gary Pallister in 1994, won two league titles and three FA Cups with United
Robson was put in front of the U18s, the U21s, United’s women’s team and player welfare staff.
As they opened up, early conversations revealed the problems ran deep.
Some agents had put hidden fees in contracts, on property and cars as ‘their cut’.
Many players had no idea they would owe tax on benefits in kind, such as club houses or healthcare.
One 20-year-old had saved £150,000 and thought that was sufficient for the £3.5million house he had been advised to buy. He had no idea of a mortgage or stamp duty.
Ego also plays a part. Some want a flash car to match their mates but are paying £4,000 out of their £10,000-a-month wages just to keep up repayments.
‘For some, their first contract at Manchester United might be the best they get but they then try and live above their means when they drop a division to another club on less money,’ says Robson.
‘The kids are vulnerable. When I signed my first deal, I had my parents with me. My dad was a long-distance lorry driver, my mum was a cook. They were intelligent but they didn’t pretend to know everything about the financial side. Now parents are trying to be advisers but again don’t know enough about the money and the sums are greater. They become easy targets for people who aren’t registered.’
As Andrews chips in, ‘Sir Alex Ferguson rightly said: “the player is the asset, not the people around him'”.
‘For a long time, players were told what to do with their money. Now we’re seeing more of them ask ”why?” That change in mindset is powerful because understanding leads to better decisions, and better decisions change outcomes. Our focus is enabling that through education and planning.’
Word is spreading. Former United and Roma defender Chris Smalling has put his weight behind the company after falling victim himself while they are branching out into cricket, rugby and boxing with support from Daily Mail Sport columnist Johnny Nelson.
‘We aren’t telling them how to spend their money,’ says Robson, ‘that’s none of our business, but we are warning them and advising make plans for what they can afford. It’s a warning, it’s about delivering peace of mind because it’s hard to find people you can trust in this game.’
Captain Marvel’s World Cup picks…
Robson won 90 caps for England, 65 as captain – only Bobby Moore, Billy Wright and Harry Kane have captained the country more often.
Robson was also assistant to manager Terry Venables from 1994 to Euro 96.
Here the former Manchester United midfielder and Captain Marvel gives Daily Mail Sport his view on who should be in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup in USA this summer.
Harry Maguire is on Captain Marvel’s list of those who should go to the World Cup
Goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders
Ben White, Reece James, Dan Burn, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Lewis Hall, Marc Guehi, Luke Shaw
Midfielders
Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, James Garner, Adam Wharton, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers
Forwards
Harry Kane, Dominic Solanke, Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden
Robson’s verdict: I’ve gone for a mix of experience and youth. He’s had his critics but I’m a big fan of Harry Maguire. He’s got the experience of playing in major tournaments, getting to finals. He reads the game well and he is a seriously dangerous attacking threat on set-pieces. If England need more pace, depending on which forwards they face, there is enough alongside him in the likes of Marc Guehi.
I really like this midfield. It’s got plenty of versatility and energy which will be needed in the conditions over there.R ice and Anderson bring class, are good in possession; Wharton keeps getting better; he is mastering the art of tackling and coming out with the ball and Garner has had an excellent season. I knew him at Manchester United, but he’s really surprised me with his ability to get round the pitch, the improvement in his passing and the fact he can fill in a couple of positions.
I’ve not put Kobbie Mainoo in because he missed a big chunk of the season. He’s unlucky but Tuchel may see it differently. Bellingham can play a deeper role if necessary while Rogers has been excellent as the ten. I’ve not put Jordan Henderson in because there is enough experience already there and we will need legs in the heat.
I thought about Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes up top, but I think Jarrod Bowen has been doing brilliantly fighting for West Ham. He gets my nod while I’d still take Phil Foden despite his drop off for City because there’s few better in tight spaces and he’ll be fresher than others.
