Researching Robbie Savage

During his career he played predominantly as a midfielder, starting off as a youth player with Manchester United before joining Crewe Alexandra when released by the Old Trafford club. He became a regular for Leicester City in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and performed a similar role for Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers. In 2008, he joined Derby County; after a short loan spell with Brighton & Hove Albion later that year, he returned to captain Derby, with whom he finished his playing career. He also played for the Wales national team on 39 occasions. He is now a pundit for the BBC and regularly presents 606 on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday evenings. He also co-presents Early Kick Off on BT Sport.

Savage was born on 31 January 1967 and grew up in Windhoek's Khomasdal suburb. He had Down syndrome and was the widest-known Namibian that lived with the disease. Already in his youth he developed a passion for football and attended countless major and minor events. Later he supported other sports codes as well, notably boxing and athletics, and he was a noticeable member of the audience in uncountable high-profile Namibian social events. This was to an extent that on several occasions his unlikely absence would be noticed, for instance at a concert of The Rockets in Windhoek that was opened with the question "Where is Robbie?"

Although a poor man throughout his life, Savage's role as mascot of the Brave Warriors enabled him to tour the African continent for several sports events. Namibian President (then Prime Minister) Hage Geingob, himself an ardent football fan, took him to the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. Savage, without being invited, attended a personal talk between the two Prime Ministers there, and he also took the opportunity to inspect the Burkinabé Guard of honour.

Nampa CEO Isack Hamata writes that through his frequent public appearances "he unknowingly de-stigmatised Downs Syndrome". Savage was hospitalised at Katutura State Hospital in May 2017 after suffering a stroke. He also developed diabetic ketoacidosis and died from this complication on 20 July 2017.