The Mail on Sunday

Every kid wanted to be him

- By BRYAN ROBSON FORMER MANCHESTER UTD AND ENGLAND CAPTAIN

GROWING up as a boy in the North-East of England, Sir Bobby Charlton was everything I wanted to be. He was the perfect role model for every young footballer.

He was from Ashington, 30 miles up the road from where I was born in Chester-le-Street. A terrific footballer, a fierce competitor and with a thunderbol­t of a shot, he led Manchester United by example and when he won the World Cup with England, well, every kid in my neighbourh­ood wanted to be him.

I loved George Best, his charisma, maverick nature and flamboyanc­e, but Sir Bobby’s principles made him stand out for other reasons.

He was impeccable. He was never sent off and often it would seem he never even got his shirt dirty. It was easy to see how he became such a great ambassador for United and England.

When I signed for Manchester United from West Brom, he made sure he sought me out, shook me by the hand and simply said: ‘Welcome to United, I’m looking forward to watching you play . . . and make sure you enjoy it.’ Over the years, I saw him do the same to every other United signing. For all he achieved he was incredibly humble. He’d never say, ‘You’ve got to win the European Cup or win the league title, to be a success like me’.

Yet for all his kind, considerat­e side, he was a tough, angry man on the football pitch. That’s why he was held in such regard by peers like Pele and Eusebio. He brought aggression and a determinat­ion to win that made him a tough opponent. Sir Alf Ramsey hailed him as one of the greatest players he’d ever seen but also praised how hard he worked for the team.

While he was immensely talented, what happened in Munich in 1958 made him all the more determined to succeed, not so much for himself but for those beloved friends and team-mates he lost.

The legacy of the Busby Babes and how they played has long been the template for how United teams should play and he, above everyone, carried that forward.

When I became an ambassador for United, I got to know him better. I would often join him for the annual memorial in Munich. I know he often said he felt guilt for being one of those who survived but he never wanted to talk about it. Then one day I plucked up the courage to say: ‘Tell me what happened’.

He walked with me to where the plane ended up. It was incredibly emotional for him and for me to listen to him. I’ve never told the details of that conversati­on and never will.

He showed immense character to not only return to playing just a month after the crash but to forge the career he had. It was clear how much that tragedy drove him.

Sir Matt Busby, with whom he shared an indelible bond as a consequenc­e of ’58, said he was as ‘near perfection as man and player as it is possible to be’.

Wherever you travel in the world Charlton’s name is synonymous with England and our football. At United, there is a stand named after him and a statue. For years to come he will stand as a giant of club and country; always remembered as the perfect gentleman, the perfect footballer.

 ?? ?? The death of Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86 leaves just one surviving member from the England team that started the 1966 World Cup final win over Germany. Hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst is now the only living player from the side that famously defeated West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley.
The death of Sir Bobby Charlton at the age of 86 leaves just one surviving member from the England team that started the 1966 World Cup final win over Germany. Hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst is now the only living player from the side that famously defeated West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley.
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