Bobby Charlton

England and Manchester United legend, 1966 World Cup winner and Ballon d'Or recipient.

Sir Robert Charlton, born 11 October 1937 and died 21 October 2023, was an English footballer capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, left winger, or centre-forward. Regarded among the sport's all-time greats, he featured for the England side that secured the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the same year he claimed the Ballon d'Or. He placed second in Ballon d'Or voting in both 1967 and 1968. His club career was spent almost entirely at Manchester United, where he was noted for his attacking flair, midfield passing, powerful long-range shooting with either foot, and exceptional fitness and stamina.

Remarkably, he received only two cautions in his entire career: one during the 1966 World Cup match against Argentina, and another in a league fixture versus Chelsea. His achievements placed him among just eleven players to have won the World Cup, European Cup, and Ballon d'Or. His older brother Jack, also part of that World Cup-winning squad, played as a defender for Leeds United and later managed the Republic of Ireland for a decade.

Quick Facts

Full name: Robert Charlton
Born: 11 October 1937
Birthplace: Ashington, Northumberland, England
Died: 21 October 2023
Place of death: Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Position: Midfielder, forward
Total caps: 652
Total goals: 211

Facts from the source article.

Background

Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton made his debut for the Manchester United first-team in 1956, at 18, and soon gained a regular place in the team, during which he became a Football League First Division champion in 1957 then survived the Munich air disaster of February 1958 after being rescued by teammate Harry Gregg; Charlton was the last survivor of the plane crash from the club. After helping United to win the FA Cup in 1963 and the Football League in 1965 and 1967, he captained the team that won the European Cup in 1968, scoring two goals in the final to help them become the first English club to win the competition.

Charlton left Manchester United to become manager of Preston North End for the 1973–74 season. He changed to player-manager the following season. He next accepted a post as a director with Wigan Athletic, then became a member of Manchester United's board of directors in 1984. At international level, Charlton was named in the England squad for four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970), though he did not play in the first.

At the time of his retirement from the England team in 1970, he was the nation's most capped player, having turned out 106 times at the highest level; Bobby Moore overtook this in 1973. Charlton was the long-time record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England, and United's long-time record appearance maker – his total of 758 matches for United took until 2008 to be beaten, when Ryan Giggs did so in that year's Champions League final. With 249 goals, he was the club's highest all-time goalscorer for more than 40 years, until his record was surpassed by Wayne Rooney in 2017.

He is also the third-highest goalscorer for England; his record of 49 goals was beaten in 2015 by Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.