Bobby Charlton shows off the World Cup trophy won by England in 1966. Here the team are preparing to face Northern Ireland in Belfast three months after the final at Wembley. Photograph: Alamy
Sir Bobby Charlton, widely recognized as one of the greatest footballers of all time and England’s most storied player, has died aged 86.
United pay tribute to ‘one of the greatest players in our history’
The Munich disaster survivor played a key role in England’s 1966 victory
A statement from the Charlton family said: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed away peacefully on Saturday morning. He was surrounded by his family.”
Manchester United are saddened by the death of Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest and best-loved players in our club’s history.” “Sir Bobby was a hero to millions not just in Manchester or the UK, but everywhere football is played around the world.”
He was as admired for his outstanding qualities as a footballer as he was for his sportsmanship and integrity; Sir Bobby will always be remembered as a giant of the game,” the statement added. “The club’s sincere sympathies are with his wife Lady Norma, his daughters and grandchildren and all those who loved him.
A World Cup winner with England in 1966, Charlton spent almost his entire playing career at Manchester United, where he won three league titles and a European Cup trophy.
Charlton became a manager at Old Trafford and was knighted in June 1994. A survivor of the Munich air disaster, which killed eight of his clubmates in 1958, he made 758 appearances for United, a record that stood until surpassed. By Ryan Giggs.
Charlton scored 249 goals for the club, a record later surpassed by Wayne Rooney, and was England’s all-time leading scorer with 49, until Rooney overtook him in September 2015
A statement from the England football team said: “It is with heavy hearts that we have learned of the death of Sir Bobby Charlton. An integral part of our 1966 World Cup winning campaign, Sir Bobby won 106 caps and scored 49 times for the #ThreeLions. A true legend of our game. We will never forget you, Sir Bobby.”
Along with his older brother Jack, who died in July 2020, Charlton was instrumental in England’s World Cup triumph. At the age of 28, he started six of the team’s matches at their home tournament and scored three goals, including two in the semi-final win over Portugal. Charlton also played in the 1962 and 1970 World Cups and was a member of the squad for the 1958 final.
When Charlton retired from international football in 1970, his 106 caps was the England record. That puts him joint seventh on the country’s current list, led by Peter Shilton at 125.
Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton joined United as an apprentice in 1953 and made his first-team debut three years later, although he did not become a regular until the first half of 1957.
He scored twice in a 3–3 draw at Red Star Belgrade in February 1958 from which United were on the way back when disaster struck in Munich. Charlton, then 20, suffered relatively minor injuries in the crash, which claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight Busby Babes, and was back playing within a month.Indigenous Peoples’ and Columbus Day-What is closed in Wisconsin
