Sir Bobby Charlton: A life in pictures
- Published
Sir Bobby Charlton is one of England’s greatest-ever footballers. A forward for Manchester United for 17 years, the football legend finally retired in 1973. Sir Bobby passed away in October of this year aged 86. On Monday more than 1,000 people attended his funeral in Manchester Cathedral including England manager Gareth Southgate and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Take a look back at his remarkable life and career in pictures.
Robert Charlton, known as Bobby, was born October 11, 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland. He was the nephew of Newcastle United striker Jackie Milburn, and joined Manchester United when he was still at school in 1953. He became a professional player in 1954 at just 17 years of age. After winning the FA Youth Cup three years in a row, he played with the first-team for the very first time on 6 October 1956. He became a key player for then Manchester United manager, Matt Busby.
Bobby’s talent impressed fans. He was part of a famous group of talented young players managed by Sir Matt Busby known as the Busby Babes. Sadly, in 1958, eight of the Busby Babes were killed in an airplane crash in Munich. Bobby, who was one of the players on board the plane, survived the crash.
Manchester United faced Bolton Wanderers at Wembley for the 1958 FA Cup Final, but were beaten 2-0. Despite the loss, Bobby had proved himself as a brave and talented player. He became a key part of rebuilding Manchester United’s team following the airplane crash.
Bobby’s star was on the rise. In 1966 he was named the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or). But this was also the year that Bobby proved himself as one of England’s greatest-ever players, forming part of the England squad who won the World Cup against West Germany (Bobby is on the right).
Following his success at the World Cup, Bobby went on to captain Manchester United at the European Cup at Wembley in 1968, winning 4-1 over team Benfica. He became part of a famous trio of players that included himself, George Best and Denis Law.
He played for Manchester United for 17 years before retiring in 1973 and becoming a player-manager at Preston North End for two years. He played 758 games for Manchester United, and scored 249 goals. These were both club records until 2008. In 1984 he became a director of his beloved Manchester United club, and was knighted in 1994. Sir Bobby Charlton passed away on 21 October 2023, but remains a much-loved and celebrated player today.
- Published22 October 2023
- Published11 October 2023
