Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello have led the tributes to former England manager Sir Bobby Robson, who died today aged 76.

Robson died at his home in County Durham this morning after a long battle against cancer. His wife Elsie was by his bedside.

Manchester United manager Ferguson said in a statement released by the League Managers' Association: "I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I'm sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that.

"In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend; a wonderful individual; a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.

"His character was hewn out of the coal face; developed by the Durham County mining background that he came from.

"His parents instilled in him the discipline and standards which forged the character of a genuinely colossal human being. He added his own qualities to that which then he passed on to his sons.

"The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile; always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems.

"The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let's hope it won't be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them."

England head coach Capello, now president of the LMA, said: "Sir Bobby was a wonderful man, a real gentleman.

"It's extremely sad that Sir Bobby has lost his final fight against cancer, but he will never be forgotten. He really was a great man.

"To manage the national team for so long was a remarkable achievement, and we all remember how close he came to leading England to the World Cup final in Italy."

Robson played for Fulham and West Brom during the 1950s and 1960s, and started his managerial career with Fulham in 1968. He went on to manage Ipswich, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and the club he supported as a boy, Newcastle.

He was England's most successful manager after Sir Alf Ramsey. In the 1986 World Cup, England were defeated by Argentina in the quarter-finals, thanks in large part to Diego Maradona's infamous 'hand of God' goal.

Four years later, Robson took England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Italy losing on penalties to West Germany.

It was not until 1999, 31 years after he first became a manager, that Robson took the job he always seemed destined for: Newcastle United's manager.

A successful five-year spell saw the Magpies qualify twice for the Champions League but in 2004, he was dismissed after a poor start to the season.

Robson had beaten cancer on a number of occasions - bowel cancer in 1992, a malignant melanoma in 1995, and a tumour in his right lung and a brain tumour, both in 2006.

Last year he launched the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to raise money for cancer research.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Robson "epitomised everything that is great about football in this country".

He added: "His passion, patriotism, dedication and professionalism knew no equal during his time both as a player and a manager."

North-east rivals Sunderland issued a statement which read: "Sir Bobby, one of the north east's favourite sons and a regular at Sunderland fixtures at the Stadium of Light, transcended the clubs he represented both on and off the field to become a respected figure across the entire world football community,

"The club would like to pass its sincere condolences to Lady Elsie and Sir Bobby's family at this very sad time."

Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers' Association, said: "My best memories of Bobby are the funny ones, all the more funny because he remained blissfully unaware, nor offended that his faux pas became a source of such fun.

"At one England Under-21 gathering, I selected Shola Ameobi who was a young striker at Newcastle under him. Bobby had also bought at great expense Carl Cort, a striker from Wimbledon.

"Shola had about six Christian names, most of them, to me, unpronounceable and in an attempt to put him at his ease on his debut performance, I called the lad over and asked him what Bobby called him when he was at the club.

"With absolutely no sense of resentment, rather more with a sense of love and understanding, Shola said, 'Carl Cort, mostly'.

"At a time when 'great' and 'world class' are sometimes too freely ascribed, the descriptions underscore Sir Bobby Robson. He was truly a great and world class person."

Former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark, now Huddersfield manager, told the Huddersfield Examiner: "It's a very sad day for football and a very sad day for the country, because he was respected in all walks of life throughout the nation.

"I knew Sir Bobby well in my time at Newcastle United, I also came across him at times when I was in the England squads and he was always a fantastic man.

"He was so knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about football and that lasted until his very last day. He would love to talk about the game and his passion for football was unbelievable."

Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd recalled his memory of how Robson accepted the job of Magpies manager without even discussing his salary.

"His enthusiasm was unbelievable. He just loved Newcastle," he told Sky Sports News.

"When he first joined us, we asked in London did he want the job? He said 'yeah, I don't want to talk about wages, I just want to be up there today'.

"His enthusiasm was fantastic."

Robson was sacked in August 2004 - something Shepherd admits was not an easy task.

"It was a board decision, we were a plc so it was a collective thing and I had to go along with it. I certainly didn't enjoy it. We stayed great friends, played golf etc. He was a great guy.

"He knew how to play me, there's always friction there (between chairman and manager) - it's part of the business but he knew how to play me and he's done it very successfully!"

Prince William, who is president of the FA, said in a statement: "I am deeply saddened to hear about Sir Bobby Robson's death.

"His contribution to English football as a player, manager and superb ambassador for our national game has been immense.

"He will be sadly missed by football fans everywhere, and I am thinking about his family at this difficult time."

Robson's last position in football was as an advisor during Steve Staunton's spell as Republic of Ireland manager.

The Football Association of Ireland released a statement saying: "It was with great sadness that the Football Association of Ireland today learned of the death of Sir Bobby Robson.

"A legend in the world of football, Sir Bobby acted as International Football Consultant for the FAI from January 2006 until November 2007, after which he continued as an Ambassador for the FAI.

"The FAI today expressed its sympathy to Sir Bobby's wife, Lady Elsie, and their three sons."

FAI president David Blood added: "Sir Bobby was a legend in the world of football and it was with great sadness that I learned of his passing this morning. We were honoured when Sir Bobby joined the association and throughout his time involved with the FAI his knowledge and passion for the game was invaluable.

"Aside from his many successes on the pitch, Sir Bobby will be best remembered for his humour, his decency and his well deserved reputation as one of the true gentlemen of the game.

"On behalf of the FAI, I would like to extend my sincerest sympathies to his family. Sir Bobby gave so much to the world of football and he will be greatly missed."

FAI chief executive John Delaney said: "Sir Bobby's contribution to the sport of football is immeasurable. His success was rooted in the fact that he was a thoroughly genuine man and was at all times an absolute gentleman.

"Sir Bobby represented football and the FAI with the pride, passion and dignity which earned him a place in the hearts of football fans around the world. He will be sadly missed."

Former Tottenham boss Martin Jol, now Ajax coach, said: "Bobby Robson was a real football legend.

"He had something special and he also almost always turned his teams into champions. That is exceptional."

Jol also credited Robson with helping him secure a move to England in 1982 when he signed for West Brom from FC Twente.

"Afterwards I heard that Robson said positive things about me to a friend," said Jol.

The Dutchman added: "Of course I knew that Bobby Robson was very sick. But the news about his death comes as a surprise nevertheless.

"He was a man who never gave up and over and over again he showed up in public. He was a striking personality."