Defender on England’s ’66 World Cup champs
Jack Charlton, an uncompromising central defender who won the 1966 World Cup with England alongside his brother, Bobby, before coaching Ireland to its first major tournaments, has died. He was 85.
Nicknamed “Big Jack,” and celebrated for his earthy “beer and cigarettes” image, Charlton was Footballer of the Year in England in 1967. He spent all his club career at Leeds from 1952-73, tying its all-time record of 773 appearances. He won every domestic honor, including the league title in 1969.
Premier League games will be preceded by a minute’s silence this weekend as a tribute to Charlton, and players will wear black armbands.
A key defender alongside captain Bobby Moore, Charlton was one of the players who helped deliver England’s first and only major international title, a 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.
“Jack was the type of player and person that you need in a team to win a World Cup,” said Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat trick in the final. “He was a great and lovable character.”
Charlton’s younger brother, midfielder Bobby, was on the field at Wembley Stadium to celebrate with him. They embraced in tears at the final whistle.
“Nobody can ever take this moment away from us,” Bobby Charlton was quoted as telling Jack.
Charlton made 35 appearances for England between 1965-70, also playing in the 1968 European Championship and the 1970 World Cup. A very different player to Bobby, who was once the all-time top scorer for both England and Manchester United, Jack was in the shadow of his brother during his playing career.
There were tensions between the siblings over Bobby’s wife, Norma. But there was a public reconciliation in 2008 when Bobby received a lifetime achievement award at a BBC sports ceremony and Jack told the audience: “Bobby Charlton is the greatest player I’ve ever seen, and he’s my brother.”
Of all the England World Cup winners to go into management, Jack Charlton was the most successful. He had brief but impressive spells at northeast clubs Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle before being hired by Ireland in 1986 as its first foreign coach.
Adopting a direct, physical and attackminded style, Charlton got the best out of Ireland’s hard-working players and ensured they qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1990 and again in 1994.
“He was an Englishman becoming the Irish national team manager at a time when it wasn’t always easy politically,” said Andy Townsend, Ireland’s captain at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. “But as Jack always did, he breezed into it and took it by the scruff of the neck.”