Kevin Sinfield said he was “pretty heartbroken” as he paid tribute to his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow, calling him a “superhuman superman”.
The former Leeds Rhinos player and motor neurone disease fundraiser said the loss was “pretty raw still” as he attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds on Monday.
Fighting back tears as he spoke to the BBC, he said: “I wish he could have seen the outpouring of love.
“I think we all lose special people but it’s very, very rare you lose someone who’s so special to so many different people.
“As you can see, it’s pretty raw still.
“He’ll leave a massive hole and I know there will be a lot of people out there who are heartbroken this morning at the news from yesterday.
“What’s really important is Rob Burrow continues to live forever. I’m sure the MND community and everyone who’s supported us previously will make sure that Rob’s name is at the forefront of everything we do going forward.”
Sinfield said Burrow was “a superhuman superman in a game of big, strong athletes”.
He told the BBC: “Then to come here today and see some of the fruits of Rob’s work, he was so proud of this and we’ve heard they’re going to try and build it in record time now, because that’s what Rob did, he broke records.
“He wanted people to have a better outlook on life, he wanted people to have hope, he wanted to find a cure for this disease.”
Before his death, Burrow had spearheaded a £6.8 million appeal for Leeds Hospitals Charity, where he received care, for a centre for those with MND living in and around the city.
Since Burrow’s death was announced on Sunday evening, the appeal has received more than 1,000 donations.
Sinfield said: “I’m sure there’ll be a big photo of Rob in this building and I’m sure there’ll be some little kids who walk through with parents and grandparents and relatives who ask ‘who’s that’ – and I’m also very, very sure that the answer that they’ll get is ‘he was the legend behind this building’ and that’s some legacy for him to leave.”