BOBBY CHARLTON
1956- 73 GAMES 758 CLUB MANCHESTER UNITED
BEFORE Old Trafford had recently been rebuilt following Second World War bombing; on the pitch, manager Matt Busby was hard at work assembling a youthful squad.
LEGACY Charlton had not long left school. Yet at 19, he netted 10 league goals in 14 games for Manchester United in his maiden senior campaign of 1956- 57, helping the club retain their title. The 1958 World Cup beckoned; so did European glory. But history’s wickedness meant things worked out rather differently.
“I’m quite sure that had it not been for the Munich air disaster, United would have won the European Cup in ’ 58,” Sir Bobby once told
Fourfourtwo of the tragedy that killed eight United players and 15 other passengers. He was on the plane: United keeper Harry Gregg pulled him from the wreckage, and during the months and years that followed, the club, city of Manchester and English football mourned. It took a while for United to rebuild: Charlton lost his confidence, but grew into a man who Busby relied on to lead his team by example.
To equate Charlton to a modern- day player is not easy. Two- footed and graceful, he was an asset in the middle for club and country: both hard- working and a reliable finisher who became leading scorer for the Red Devils and England until Wayne Rooney surpassed him.
Charlton’s United won the FA Cup in 1963, a catalyst for the club’s rejuvenation as titles in ’ 65 and ’ 67 followed, either side of World Cup and Ballon d’or glory for their star man. In 1968, the No. 9 completed his set, hoisting the European Cup after a man- of- the- match display. He wept after lifting the trophy that had eluded him; it was a full stop of sorts, but one that reminded him of what he had lost.
“Bobby’s great attribute is how he has kept his feet on the ground and retained humility all his life,” Sir Alex Ferguson enthused of his fellow knight. Even when on top of the world, Charlton remained the same hard- working lad who had turned up at Old Trafford a mere boy. Seldom have United players been more talented; arguably no one ever endured and enjoyed a journey quite like Sir Bobby.
BEST MOMENT With a brace against Benfica, he became the first English captain to lift the European Cup, two years after World Cup joy.