Sir Bobby Charlton, Manchester United legend and World Cup winner, dies at 86

Sir Bobby Charlton, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest footballers of all time and the most storied player England has produced, has died aged 86.

A statement on behalf of the Charlton family said: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was surrounded by his family.”

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“Manchester United are in mourning following the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club,” a club statement said. “Sir Bobby was a hero to millions, not just in Manchester, or the UK, but wherever football is played around the world.”

“He was admired as much for his sportsmanship and integrity as he was for his outstanding qualities as a footballer; Sir Bobby will always be remembered as a giant of the game,” the statement added. “The club’s heartfelt sympathies are with his wife Lady Norma, his daughters and grandchildren, and all who loved him.”

A World Cup winner with England in 1966, Charlton spent his playing career almost entirely at Manchester United, where the trophies he secured included three league titles and a European Cup.

Charlton went on to become a director at Old Trafford and was knighted in June 1994. A survivor of the Munich air disaster, which claimed the lives of eight of his clubmates in 1958, he made 758 appearances for United, a record which stood until surpassed by Ryan Giggs.

Charlton scored 249 goals for the club, a record which was later surpassed by Wayne Rooney, and was England’s all-time leading scorer, with 49, until Rooney overtook him in September 2015.

A statement from the England football team said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton. An integral part of our 1966 World Cup winning campaign, Sir Bobby won 106 caps and scored 49 times for the #ThreeLions. A true legend of our game. We will never forget you, Sir Bobby.”

Alongside his elder brother, Jack, who died in July 2020, Charlton played a key part in England’s World Cup triumph. Aged 28 he started all six of the team’s matches at their home tournament and scored three goals, including two in the semi-final victory over Portugal. Charlton also played at the World Cups of 1962 and 1970 and was a member of the squad for the 1958 finals.

When Charlton retired from international football in 1970 his 106 caps were an England record. That places him joint seventh in the country’s current list, which is headed by Peter Shilton on 125.

Charlton, born in Ashington, Northumberland, joined United as an apprentice in 1953 and made his first-team debut three years later, though it was not until the first half of 1957 that he became a regular.

He scored twice in the 3-3 draw at Red Star Belgrade in February 1958 from which United were travelling back when disaster struck in Munich. Charlton, then aged 20, suffered relatively minor wounds in the accident, which claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight of the Busby Babes, and he was back playing within a month.

Charlton won a First Division title in 1957 and secured two more, in 1965 and 1967, together with an FA Cup in 1963. The highlight of his club career came in 1968 when he captained United to a European Cup final victory over Benfica in which he scored twice.

After leaving United in May 1973, Charlton managed and played for Preston North End and had a spell with Waterford United in Ireland. He was later a director and caretaker manager at Wigan Athletic. Manchester United made him a director in 1984 and announced in February 2016 that they were naming their South Stand after him.

In November 2020 it was announced by Charlton’s wife, Lady Norma Charlton, that he had been diagnosed with dementia. He celebrated his 86th birthday 10 days ago, on 11 October.