Sir Bobby Charlton - Manchester United Legend
Arguably Manchester United's greatest ever player, Charlton had a fantastic playing career, which took in 17 years of top-flight football for The Reds as well as 12 years for the England national side. If you're talking about playing stats and figures, few come close to what he acheived. For Manchester United he made 604 League appearances and bagged himself a fanatstic 198 goals, which are both club records, to this very day (although Ryan Giggs passed Charlton's aggregate League and cup appearance record of 758 in May 2008); he scored 20 goals in 78 F.A Cup ties, and had a one in two scoring record in European competition (22 goals in 45 games). In adition to his playing stats, Charlton won many honours including three League championships, the F.A. Cup in 1963 and not forgetting the European Cup in '68, as well playing a huge part in England's 1966 World Cup victory, where he scored twice in the semi-final against Portugal. In total he played 106 times for England, which was the most England caps ever acheived by a Manchester United player until David Beckham surpassed it in 2008, he is also England's top scorer with a tally of 49. On top of this he's been awarded many prestigious personal honours including the OBE in 1969, the CBE in 1974 and a Knighthood in 1994. After his success with Manchester United and England in 1966 he was voted both England and European Footballer of the Year. Although he's won these many great honours it is the way he's conducted himself with warmth and dignity over the years that has placed him firmly in the hearts of the footballing world and apart from the modern England superstars he is arguably the most famous player to have ever pulled on the famous white shirt, and what ever foreign shore you visit, whether it be India or deepest Africa, everybody has heard of, or know of Sir Bobby Charlton. More recently Sir Bobby has become a Manchester United director and an ambassoador for both The Red Devils and England.
Although his talent was there for all to see, this rough diamond was worked hard by Jimmy Murphy, before he would be deemed ready for first team action. On 6 October 1956, still only 18 years of age that moment came, when first choice striker Tommy Taylor was injured. He grasped the opportunity with both hands, scoring twice in a 4-2 victory over Charlton Athletic. That season he went on to bag 10 goals in 14 matches, a League championship winning medal and an F.A. Cup runners-up medal. In his first campaign as a first-teamer Bobby Charlton failed to hold down a regular first team place, as the prolific pairing of Liam 'Billy' Whelan and Tommy Taylor were prefered; with Charlton only coming in whenever of the two were injured. The following season Bobby Charlton began to feature more and more in the first team and just two months before the Munich air disaster became a first team regular, amassing 12 goals in 15 appearances prior to the tragedy.
On that fateful night the United team took off from Belgrade's Zenum Airport, to head back to Manchester, however the plane needed to stop in a snowy Munich for refuelling. Whilst the refuelling was taking place the wintry conditions in and around Munich's airport were worsening. With heavy snow settling on the runway the players and other passengers were asked to re-board the plane. After two aborted take-offs, the passengers were again asked to alight whilst engineers fixed a technical problem. Just 10 minutes had passed by before the players were asked to return to the plane once more. With the young squad begenning to worry about the flight a few of them swapped places. David Pegg moved to the back of the plane citing he would be safer there if anything were to happen and was promptly followed by Tommy Taylor. As there were no seats available the pair swapped places with Dennis Viollet and Bobby Charlton. As the plane attempted to take off for a third time it is alleged that it was unable to reach the minumum speed required for a succesful take off. It was said that a build up of slush on the runway had caused the plane to deaccelerate. With runway running out the plane hit a fence and then a unhabitted farmhouse, before it was sliced in two by the impact. Bobby Charlton was found unconscious and strapped to his seat by survivor Harry Gregg, who led the rescue mission. When Gregg got to Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet - who was also strapped to the his seat- he thought they were both dead. Although he assumed they had passed away, he still dragged the pair 100 yards away from the plane just incase it blew (which he was told would be the case by Captain James Thain). It wasn't until he saw that the pair had gotten out of of their seats and were standing dazed by the wreckage that he knew they were alive. Bobby Charlton was kept in hospital for a week due to severe shock and deep cuts to his head. Heartbreakingly seven of his team-mates died in the crash. The dead were club captain Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, Liam 'Billy' Whelan, Geoff Bent and Duncan Edwards - who died two weeks later in hospital. In total - as well as the seven players - three members of Manchester United's backroom staff, eight journalists, two crew members and two other passengers died in the tragedy. After spending eight days in the hospital Bobby Charlton returned home to recover and returned to action just 24 days after the crash in a sixth round F.A. Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion on 1 March 1958, the match finished 2-2. Following Munich Charlton played a further 16 games that season, scoring six times.
With the pair in supreme form Manchester United went amazingly close to winning the Leauge title, just being pipped by an excellent Wolverhampton Wanderers side. All in all there was no way The Reds should have finished runners-up, after what went on in Munich. Despite his exploits for Manchester United, it wasn't until 1963 that he won his second piece of silverware for the club, when he and his team mates beat unfancied Leicester City in the 3-1 to lift the F.A. Cup. Two seasons later (1964-65) Charlton's 10 goals in 41 League appearances helped Manchester United win the English championship for the first time in 8 years. He again repeated the feat in 1967 when he was an ever present figure in the side. Due to their League championship success in 1967, the following season Bobby Charlton and Manchester United had the chance to compete for the European Cup, and in a run, which took The Reds all the way to the final Charlton was an ever present fixture in the side; as they brushed aside Maltesers, Hibernian in th first round. Followed by FK Sarajevo in the second; Poles, Gornik Zabrze in the quarter-finals and the great Real Madrid in the semis. On the emotinally charged evening of 29 May 1968 Charlton led his Manchester United side out against a Benfica side packed full of world-class talent such as Eusebio, Torres and captain Coluna. Just 10 years after the Munich air disaster had ripped the heart out Manchester United they were competing for the trophy they craved above all others. In a close fought first half chances were few and far between, but just eight minutes into the second Bobby Charlton rose in the Benfica area, to glance a superb header past Benfica goalkeeper Jose Henrique. United's lead had lasted a little more than 22 minutes before midfielder Jaime Graca finished emphatically at the back post. With the game at 1-1 at the end of the first half Manchester United's coaching staff convinced the players that the Benfica team were out on their feet. So armed with the feeling that they were fitter than their Portuguese opponents The Reds attacked from the very first second of extra-time. and just three minutes in Alex Stepney's massive clearance was latched upon by George Best, who beautifully evaded the challenge of the last Benfica defender, before cooly rounding the goalkeeper to slot home United's second. With United now rampant birthday boy Brian Kidd headed in a third, with captain Bobby Charlton completing the rout with a fantastic reverse shot, which looped majestically over the despairing Henrique. Although Manchester United reached the semi-final stages of the European Cup a year later - only to be knocked-out 2-1 by AC Milan - it seemed like an end of an era. With Charlton barely on speaking terms with George Best and to a lesser extent Denis Law United slumped to an 11th place finish, losing 15 times in the process. For the next three seasons after finsihing trophy-less and in 8th position in League. Charlton knew that he was coming to the end of his career, and at the ripe old - footballing - age 35 he had done everything in the game. In 1973 after another lackluster season, with his beloved Manchester United finishing in 18th place in the League, the former European Footballer of the Year left the club. A year later United were relegated. When he left Manchester United Bobby Charlton became player-manager of Preston North End, but despite netting 10 times on 45 matches they were relegated and he left the club. In 1975 he played a season in Ireland for Waterford United, where he scored eighteen goals in thirty-one games. After an incredible 22 year playiing career, where he scored 326 goals in 940 appearances for club and country he decided to hang-up hos football boots for good.
During his long and illustrious England career Charlton scored 49 goals including four hat-tricks, against, U.S.A., Luxembourg, Mexico and Switzerland and In a 3-1 friendly match victory on 22 May 1968 Bobby Charlton scored his 45th international goal, and in doing so broke Jimmy Greave's England goalscoring record, which still stands today. 1966 came the defining moment of his international career when the World Cup was hosted by England. In the tournament on home soil. Charlton and his England team-mates excelled and after he netted in the 2-0 group stage match victory over Mexico the Manchester United hitman came up the goals, which helped his team reach the final, when he scored both the goals in a 2-0 semi-final victory over Portugal. Four days later England took on old rivals West Germany in the Wembley final and after a tough game The Three Lions ran out 4-2 winners. Bobby Charlton will forever be remembered for his rocket shots, long sweeping passes and his never say die attitude which encapsulated the ethos of both Manchester United and England. Sir Bobby Charlton Honours Manchester United International Sir Bobby Charlton Personal Honours European Footballer of the Year: 1966 From Sir Bobby Charlton, to Manchester United football legends Manchester United Fans Site home |
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