Rugby league icon Rob Burrow inspired many with his campaigning to raise awareness of motor neurone disease (MND).

After he was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2019, Burrow and his friend and former team-mate Kevin Sinfield raised more than £15m for charity in less than five years.

Leeds Rhinos legend Burrow won the Super League eight times and played for England on 13 occasions.

The father of three died aged 41 on Sunday at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Born in Pontefract on 26 September 1982, Burrow was a talented rugby league player from a young age.

But according to his father Geoffrey, he was told he would never play the sport professionally due to his height.

He stood at 5ft 5in (1.65m), but defied expectations by rising through the ranks at Leeds Rhinos, where he enjoyed a 16-year career.

His leadership and character were evident from a young age, and at the age of 21 he captained the England academy side for their tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Burrow went on to be one of the most successful players in English rugby league history.

He won eight Super League championships, two Challenge Cups, was named in the Super League Dream Team three times and won the Harry Sunderland Trophy twice.

But just two years after retiring from professional rugby, Burrow was diagnosed with MND.

He dedicated the rest of his life to raising money to spread awareness of the disease, with the help of his family, friends and former team-mates.

Sinfield, Burrow’s former team-mate at Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain, helped his friend raise more than £15m for MND charities.

Their efforts funded the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital, which is described as the “first of its kind” by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

In 2022, Burrow received an MBE for his charity work, which he collected alongside his wife Lindsey, whom he married in 2006.

The couple met as teenagers and have three children together.

The 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon saw more than 10,000 participants take to the streets of the city in Burrow’s name.

Sinfield carried his friend across the finish line last year, and a year later they were awarded CBEs.

Burrow passed away on Sunday after battling MND for four-and-a-half years.

Paying tribute to his friend, Sinfield said: “The world has lost a great man and a wonderful friend to so so many.”