Survivor of the Munich air tragedy in 1958 that killed eight of his Manchester United teammates and led to the temporary extinction of the legendary club, the world of football is mourning the death of Bobby Charlton, considered one of the best players of all time, eternal myth at Old Trafford. The great legend of English football died this Saturday, ten days after turning 86, after being hailed as one of the greatest in history, world champion with his team and Ballon d’Or in 1966 and European champion with the Red Devils. in 1968.
Thirteen years after being diagnosed with dementia, Bobby Charlton died this Saturday surrounded by his family, when almost 70 years ago he emerged unscathed, when he was only 20, from the plane crash that massacred Manchester United in Germany and in which they died. 23 people. «My career is miraculous because when the Munich accident occurred I was thrown out of the plane. Little happened to me. A small bruise, a few scratches and that was it. “When you see all the kids who died there… that’s being lucky,” acknowledged Bobby Charlton, alluding to that disaster that devastated a brilliant generation.
With Manchester United refounded, ten years had to pass for the British team to lift, thanks to Bobby Charlton, the first European Cup in its history, at Wembley, against Benfica (4-1), with two of his goals in the final, after having eliminated Real Madrid in the semifinals. With the help of the ‘United Trinity’ (Holy Trinity) made up of Charlton himself, George Best and Denis Law, the great Manchester team was resurrected until it reached the Olympus of the highest continental competition, after the ‘Three Lions’ conquered with him as the undisputed leader, his first and so far only world title, also at Wembley, against Germany.
Bobby Charlton was the main figure of the World Cup in England-66, although Geoff Hurst was the top scorer, with a little more than the legendary United footballer. Bobby Charlton scored three goals in six games, two of them in the semi-final against Portugal. The brilliant British midfielder was in charge of leading an offensive English team in that championship thanks to the freedom that the coach, Alf Ramsey, gave the star.
With England, Sir Bobby Charlton, appointed Knight of the British Empire in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II, was capped 106 times and scored 49 goals. The country that invented football mourns more than any other the death of “a true football great whose legacy will endure,” as Liverpool, Manchester United’s eternal rival, called him. “He has been one of the ‘gentleman’ of this sport,” stressed the current England coach, Gareth Southgate, who highlighted “the personal pride and emotion that he felt” the United idol “for having represented England.” With the team of his life Bobby Charlton also won three league titles and an FA Cup.
“Words will never be enough”
The footballer born in Ashington in 1937 was precisely the one who named the historic Old Trafford stadium ‘Theatre of Dreams’. With United he played 758 games and scored 249 goals. He is still the second Manchester United footballer, just as he was from England, with the most goals scored, after Wayne Rooney. United fans recognized him in 2020, through a survey on his website, as the most outstanding English footballer in history.
For Alfredo Di Stéfano, who died at the age of 88 in 2014, and Pelé, who lost his life at the age of 82 in December 2022, there was no doubt that Bobby Charlton was the best footballer England has ever produced. “Words will never be enough,” Manchester United proclaimed this Saturday when lamenting the death of their myth and best ambassador of the club and also of English football.
“Sir Bobby was a hero to millions of people, not just in Manchester or the UK, but wherever football is played in the world. He was admired both for his sportsmanship and integrity and for his outstanding qualities as a footballer. “Sir Bobby will always be remembered as a giant of the game,” United proclaimed. The trauma that he suffered in 1958, when he was a teenager, far from negatively affecting his personal life and his sporting career, propelled him to rise to the altars of world football.
2023-10-21 18:07:13
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