Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bobby was so good, we never knew which was his best foot. Every club would want him today... but the price would be just frightening
PADDY CRERAND EXCLUSIVE
I have travelled to all four corners of the globe with this club, and as soon as you say ‘Manchester’ or ‘United’, the response is ‘Bobby Charlton’ Bobby is the only Englishman the Scots respect. I saw him score against us... he hit it so hard, it’d be travelling today if the net hadn’t been there
FOOTBALLER and gentleman supreme Sir Bobby Charlton pulled off plenty of miracles in his days with Manchester United and England.
Surviving the terrible 1958 Munich air disaster that claimed the lives of eight United teammates was a life-defining moment from which his worldwide reputation blossomed.
But as Charlton celebrates his 80th birthday this week, former team-mate Paddy Crerand is in no doubt which achievement marks his friend as a truly remarkable football man.
“He’s the only Englishman I know who was revered, respected and actually liked in Scotland,” laughs Crerand mischievously.
“Alex Ferguson and everyone else in Scotland looked at Bobby as God Almighty because of his football ability back in the late 1950s and 60s.
“That’s no easy thing to achieve for an Englishman, but Bobby had it all as a footballer.
“I remember seeing him score a wonder goal for England against Scotland at Hampden Park.
“He hit it so hard. If the net hadn’t been there it would still be travelling to this day,” recalls Crerand, a passionate Scotsman not universally known for worshipping Englishmen who inflicted damage on his nation. He’s happy to make an exception for Charlton in a week when the 1966 World Cup winner reaches a milestone birthday.
Since their heady days as team-mates winning the League, FA Cup and the crowning glory 1968 European Cup, Crerand and Charlton’s paths have become intertwined down the years with their Old
Trafford ties uniting them in a common bond.
“Bobby is Mr
Manchester
United,” says
Crerand.
“No one embodies the club like him.
“And apart from his wife
Norma, there won’t be a fan in Old Trafford who loves United more than he does.
“I’ve travelled the four corners of the world with the club and privately and as soon as you mention Manchester or United the instant response is ‘Bobby Charlton’.
“Bobby and Norma still go to virtually every match and they were both very welcoming when I first came down from Glasgow in 1963 after leaving Celtic to join United.
“They took me out for a meal shortly after I arrived to help me settle in and God knows what they thought of me.
“But there was I at 24 and Bobby thought I was this hooligan from Glasgow.
“I was in total awe of him having seen him play for England.
“He was a big star, but he is just a normal guy who preferred a quiet life with his wife and family, but I remember his kindness in those early days.
“Another thing I remember is never hearing him swear on the pitch or off it. Not once. I swore like a trooper and still do! But Bobby? Never. Yet we formed a great partnership in midfield for United. I’d win the ball and give it to Bobby who had wonderful ability with both feet.
“Even now I’m not sure which was his best foot, but he’d score goals from everywhere with both feet.
“I shudder to think what he’d be worth in today’s market but I do know every big club would be clamouring to buy him. And it would be for a frightening amount of money.”
The holy trinity of George Best, Denis Law and Charlton was fundamental to United’s success, but the perception that Sir Bobby didn’t like Best is, says Crerand, simply not true.
“Bobby let everyone else try to help George when it started to unravel, but it was a losing battle anyway.
“He had great respect for George – I can clearly remember them hugging each other after a win against Liverpool at Anfield – but they were totally different people.
“Bobby was a model professional and would duck publicity. He was a shy person and a different personality to George. But I know he was sad that George’s career at United went the way it did.”
Charlton’s career for club and country earned him a trip to Buckingham Palace for a knighthood in 1994.
The honours system goes against Crerand’s working-class beliefs, but he says: “I don’t believe in all that knighthood crap, I’m a left-winger.
“But if anyone deserved it then Bobby did with his ability.”