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| 34 Years and Counting... The Legend Sir Bobby Charlton
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1 World Cup: 1966
3 League Titles: 1957, 1965, 1967
1 European Cup: 1968
1 FA Cup: 1963
1 European Footballer of the Year: 1966
1 Football Writers Association Player of the Year: 1966
International career:
106 caps (two players in history have more caps for England), 49 goals (highest ever goalscorer for England). Only English player to feature in four World Cup squads.
United career:
759 appearances (most appearances ever made for United), 249 goals (highest ever goalscorer for United)
Sir Bobby Charlton encompasses everything which is great about football. His ability, his loyalty, his dedication, his honours list, his passion, he has it all. To have such a great man as an ambassador for our club truly makes us privileged, and our club, and this country, owe him a great deal. It has been thirty four years since he left United, and thirty seven years since he retired from playing for England, yet he still has pride of place in the record books for club and country.
If we go back to the beginning, we can see Charlton had no choice but to pursue a career in football, coming from a line of footballers, three of his uncles playing for Leeds, amongst other clubs, and his mum’s cousin, Jackie Milburn, proved as a legend for Newcastle.
Charlton signed for United when he was fifteen years old, turning a professional just as he became seventeen in 1954. Charlton was a part of the Busby Babes, the team which should have dominated English football for the next ten years or more. He made his debut in 1956, whilst undertaking his National Service in Shrewsbury, alongside team mate Duncan Edwards. He won the FA Youth Cup with United in 1954, 1955 and 1956.
United won the league in Charlton’s first season with the first team, but were robbed of the Double, after Villa’s McParland viciously followed through minutes in to the game on United’s keeper, Ray Wood, breaking his cheek bone and leaving him concussed. These were before the days of substitutions, so Jackie Blanchflower, our centre half, filled in between the sticks. United lost 2-1, but they would see, along with Charlton, their share of glory in the coming years.
First though, they were to endure great tragedy, as the Munich Air Disaster claimed the lives of our youngsters. Having reached the semi finals of the European Cup the season before, as the first English team to succeed so significantly in the competition, United were looking to win the trophy in 1958. United played away in Yugoslavia against Red Star Belgrade, Sir Bobby scoring two goals in a 3-3 draw, taking United again to the semi finals.
Charlton had played in a team full of such promise and hope, and it all fell apart at the seams. With the loss of nine players, United went on to lose to AC Milan in the semi finals of the European Cup, fell away in the league, and lost in the FA Cup final.
As the years rolled by, Charlton established himself as a great attacking player and goalscorer for both club and country. Finally, in 1963, Charlton picked up an FA Cup winners medal, and two years later, Sir Matt’s work was starting to pay off, with the league title coming back to Manchester.
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The World Cup followed a year later, with Charlton shining in the run up to the final. He scored England’s first goal of the tournament against Mexico, a completely self made goal, which started with Charlton picking up the ball in his own half, and ended with a beautiful strike in to the top corner.
England then went on to beat France, then Argentina, and faced Portugal in the semi-final. Charlton scored both goals in England’s 2-1 victory, the second of which in the form of another scorcher.
The rest, as they say, is history, with England going on to win the World Cup, something which moved Charlton to tears, and lots of them!
The following year, United won the league again, their second in three years, pipping Forest to the post. Charlton was a United and England hero and had been the cornerstone to Sir Matt’s rebuilding of the squad. As captain, in 1968, he lead United through the European Cup, with no other English teams yet to leave their mark. Ten years had past since that dreadful day in February, when Manchester mourned not only the lives of our lost players, but the lost potential. Charlton was just a lad back then, and now he was a man, eager to add the final trophy to his collection of honours.
Charlton has now been associated with the club for over half a century, working as an ambassador for football in his role as director for United. As great teams have come and gone, domestically and internationally, Charlton’s name still shines brighter than everyone else’s.
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