Robert Valentine (21 December 1877 – 16 January 1926) was an English

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

and

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player. In association football, his regular position was as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

, and he made ten first team appearances for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

(1903–1908). He also played rugby league for Swinton. Valentine was born in 1877 in Pendleton,

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the youngest son of Robert Valentine, who was in the Navy, and Ann Wallwork Valentine. His elder brother was Swinton legend Jim Valentine (1866–1904). Their father died in 1884 when Robert was 6 years old, and he later moved in with his brother in

Irlams o' th' Height Irlams o' th' Height is a suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is located on top of the Irwell Valley, on higher ground than Pendleton, hence the reference to ''The Height''. The first part of the name derives from the Irlam fami ...

. Valentine died at the original Salford Royal Hospital on Chapel Street/Adelphi Street,

in 1926 aged 48''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995''

References

External links

Photograph 'Team Photo 1906-07' at swintonlionstales.co.uk
1877 births 1926 deaths Association football goalkeepers English footballers English rugby league players Footballers from Salford Manchester United F.C. players Rugby league players from Salford Swinton Lions players {{England-rugbyleague-bio-stub