Born October 11th, 1937
Died October 21st, 2023
Bobby Charlton, who has died aged 86, was a titan not just of football, but of world sport. A youth product at Manchester United who barely survived the 1958 Munich air disaster and went on to lift the very biggest prizes in the game, his claim to be regarded as the greatest British player of all time is stronger than that of almost anyone else.
Not until the mid-2010s were Charlton’s record goal hauls for England (49) and United (249) finally surpassed, on both occasions by Wayne Rooney. Renowned for his thunderous long-range shots, stylish passing and unfailingly gentlemanly conduct, he personified a golden age of English football, powering his country to their only World Cup win in 1966 at Wembley, then lifting the European Cup for United in the same stadium in 1968.
In retirement, Charlton dabbled briefly with club management at Preston North End and ran football schools before joining the board of Manchester United in 1984. He came to be seen as United’s ultimate ambassador over the following decades, an unwaveringly dignified presence amid the relentless commercialisation of both his own club and football in general.
Bobby Charlton was born in October 1937 in Ashington, a mining village in Northumbria in the northeast of England, the second of four sons to Robert, a miner, and Cissie. His older brother, Jack, would go on to become a commanding centre-half for Leeds United and England, then spend an unforgettable decade managing Ireland.
Bobby, a prolific scorer at schoolboy level, signed for Manchester United in his mid-teens and would spend 17 eventful seasons at Old Trafford, winning three English league titles and an FA Cup. The first of those titles, in 1957, cemented the legend of the Busby Babes, the coruscating young team constructed by the redoubtable manager Matt Busby. They looked poised to dominate for years – until the grim events of February 6th, 1958.
The United squad’s flight home from a European Cup tie in Belgrade made a refuelling pit stop in Munich, then subsequently tried to take off for Manchester. But icy conditions on the runway caused the aircraft to crash, killing 23 passengers. The blast threw Charlton out of the wreckage, still strapped into his seat. Eight of his team-mates died, while Busby was given the last rites twice but ultimately survived. Later in life, Charlton’s often subdued demeanour was invariably ascribed to the toll Munich had taken on him as a young man of 20.
[ Two Brothers: The saddening tale of Bobby and Jackie CharltonOpens in new window ]
Somehow, through sheer force of will, Busby and his assistant Jimmy Murphy rebuilt the club from the ashes, shaping the team around Charlton (whom Busby shrewdly moved from the wing into a more central position) and the other two members of United’s Holy Trinity, the uncontainable George Best and the lethal finisher Denis Law. On a personal level, the trio did not get on: the hell-raising Best regarded Charlton as staid and dour, while Law unaccountably viewed him as overrated.
But their footballing chemistry was explosive. United won the league again in 1967, putting themselves into the following season’s European Cup, where they squeezed past Real Madrid in a titanic semi-final. In the final, on an emotional night at Wembley, wearing unfamiliar blue, they overwhelmed Benfica in extra-time, winning 4-1. Charlton scored the first and fourth goals, heading home David Sadler’s centre, then sweeping in a low cross by Brian Kidd.
He would never hit such heights again. United immediately entered a steep decline, slumping into mid-table mediocrity, then suffering a catastrophic relegation in 1974. By then Charlton was gone and had suffered a relegation of his own, taking down Preston North End in the first of his two seasons as manager there. Becoming player-manager for 1974-1975, he fared little better. His gradual career wind-down included three appearances for Waterford United in 1976.
He and Jack did not speak for many years, due to a family rift. They finally reconciled in the late 2000s
At international level, Charlton won 106 English caps between the late 1950s and early 1970s. A non-playing reserve at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, he finally got his chance in the 1962 finals in Chile, where he scored against Argentina in the group stage. Four years later England hosted the tournament. Managed by the brilliant, driven Alf Ramsey, they seized their once-in-a-lifetime chance to scale world football’s summit.
In the group stage, against Mexico, Charlton broke the deadlock with a stunning drive from long distance. The semi-final, against Portugal, saw him give one of the greatest performances of his career. Scoring two fine goals, he eclipsed even the splendid Eusébio on the night. In the final, against West Germany, he was quietened by the superb marking of Franz Beckenbauer, but a Geoff Hurst hat-trick saw England prevail 4-2 after extra-time. At the final whistle, his brother Jack (playing in defence) embraced him and said: “Well, what about that, kidda?” He replied: “Our lives will never be the same again.”
Four years later, in Mexico, England’s defence of the crown came unstuck on a boiling afternoon in León as the West Germans took revenge, recovering from two goals down to win 3-2, again in extra-time. Just moments after Beckenbauer had scored to kick-start the German comeback, Charlton was taken off by Ramsey. Still only 32, he retired from international football the following day.
He and Jack did not speak for many years, due to a family rift: his wife, Norma, had never got on with his mother Cissie, which resulted in him paying fewer and fewer visits to the family house, much to his brother’s anger. They finally reconciled in the late 2000s. “Like members of so many families we have known times of dislocation and, yes, outright strife,” Charlton wrote in his autobiography, “and I will always regret that sometimes they became public, but the years do bring some healing.”
Charlton was diagnosed with dementia in late 2020, and died last Saturday morning. He is survived by Norma and their daughters, Suzanne and Andrea.