Sir Bobby Charlton, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and the most illustrious player England has ever produced, died at the age of 86. Manchester United legend Charlton was a vital figure in England’s 1966 World Cup victory and one of the survivors of the infamous Munich incident.
Sir Bobby Charlton went on an outstanding sporting career after rising from the ashes of one of football’s most horrific occurrences. It saw him captain Manchester United to become the first English side to win the European Cup in 1968, among many other accolades.
Man United legend & England’s 1966 World Cup hero Sir Bobby Charlton passes away
Charlton, who won the World Cup with England in 1966, spent practically his entire playing career with Manchester United. Charlton later became a director at Manchester United and was knighted in June 1994. He was a survivor of the Munich plane tragedy and made 758 appearances for United, a record that held until Ryan Giggs broke it.
Charlton set a club record with 249 goals, which Wayne Rooney subsequently broke. He was England’s all-time leading scorer with 49 goals until Rooney surpassed him in September 2015.
Along with his elder brother, Jack, who died in July 2020, Charlton was instrumental in England’s World Cup victory. At the age of 28, he started all six of the team’s home tournament matches and scored three goals, including two in the semi-final triumph over Portugal. Charlton also appeared in the World Cups of 1962 and 1970, as well as the 1958 finals.
Charlton won the First Division in 1957 and two more in 1965 and 1967, as well as the FA Cup in 1963. His club career high point occurred in 1968, when he guided United to a European Cup final triumph over Benfica, in which he scored twice.
Charlton left United in May 1973 and went on to manage and play for Preston North End, as well as Waterford United in Ireland. He later worked as a director and caretaker manager at Wigan Athletic. Manchester United appointed him as a director in 1984 and named their South Stand after him in February 2016.
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