Football has lost one of its greatest

World football has once again lost one of its greatest protagonists, Sir Bobby Charlton. The Manchester United legend passed away on Saturday morning aged 86. Charlton had been suffering from dementia since 2020 and died surrounded by his family.

In Manchester, Charlton was one of the key players in the so-called “Busby Babes”, the legendary United team under coach Matt Busby that won numerous titles – including the 1968 Championship and three league titles. In 758 games for the club, the all-time great scored 249 goals over 17 years.

Survived plane accident

It was a career that almost didn’t exist in this form. After all, in 1958 Charlton was also on the plane in which 23 of the 44 passengers lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

In February 1958, Manchester United were on their way home from a European Cup game in Belgrade. After a stopover in Munich, the plane had starting problems in bad weather. “We didn’t even take off,” Charlton recalled decades later, visibly moved. “We crashed into a house and I think a few other obstacles. It was just a nightmare. I was lucky that I was in the right seat,” Charlton later said in an interview. He survived, as did coach Busby – and accompanied Manchester United in building a completely new team. “We had to try extra hard,” Charlton said. Ten years later, the national champions triumphed in the European Cup.

The “Red Devils” have triumphed three times so far in the Master Cup or the Champions League. The club is one of the greats of world football. Charlton has left his mark on him like no other. In 1994 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Rio Ferdinand, once a teammate of David Beckham and also endowed with hero status, probably had the best words: “When he spoke, you stood still, stopped what you were doing and listened.” After retiring in 1973, he served as director of the “Red Devils” for 39 years. After Charlton’s death, Geoff Hurst is now the only surviving player from England’s 1966 World Cup winning team.