Sir
Bobby Charlton
CBE

Charlton in 1966

Personal information

Full name

Robert Charlton

Date of birth

11 October 1937

Place of birth

Ashington, Northumberland, England

Date of death

21 October 2023 (aged 86)

Place of death

Macclesfield, Cheshire, England

Height

5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)^[1]

Position(s)

Midfielder, forward

Youth career

East Northumberland Schools

1953–1956

Manchester United

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1956–1973

Manchester United

606

(199)

1974–1975

Preston North End

38

(8)

1976

Waterford

3

(1)

1978

Newcastle KB United

1

(0)

1980

Perth Azzurri

3

(2)

1980

Blacktown City

1

(1)

Total

652

(211)

International career

1953

England Schoolboys

4

(5)

1954

England Youth

1

(1)

1958–1960

England U23

6

(5)

1958–1970

England

106

(49)

Managerial career

1973–1975

Preston North End

1983

Wigan Athletic (caretaker)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing England
FIFA World Cup
Winner	1966 England
UEFA European Championship
	1968 Italy

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sir Robert Charlton (11 October 1937 – 21 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, left winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time,^[2]^[3] he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 1967 and 1968. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts, passing abilities from midfield, ferocious long-range shooting from both left and right foot, fitness, and stamina. He was cautioned only twice in his career: once against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup, and once in a league match against Chelsea. With success at club and international level, he was one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup–winning team, was a former defender for Leeds United and also for ten years was the manager of the Republic of Ireland.

Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton made his debut for the Manchester United first-team in 1956, aged 18, and soon gained a regular place in the team, during which time 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6] 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;^[7] his record of 49 goals was beaten in 2015 by Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.^[8]

Early life

[edit]

Robert Charlton was born on 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland, England,^[9] to coal miner Robert "Bob" Charlton (24 May 1909 – April 1982)^[10]^[11] and Elizabeth Ellen "Cissie" Charlton (née Milburn; 11 November 1912 – 25 March 1996). He was related to several professional footballers on his mother's side of the family: his uncles were Jack Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford City), George Milburn (Leeds United and Chesterfield), Jim Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford Park Avenue) and Stan Milburn (Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale), and legendary Newcastle United and England footballer Jackie Milburn was his mother's cousin. However, Charlton credited much of the early development of his career to his grandfather Tanner and his mother Cissie.^[12] His elder brother, Jack, initially worked as a miner^[13] before applying to the police,^[14] only to also become a professional footballer with Leeds United.^[15]

Club career

[edit]

On 9 February 1953, then a Bedlington Grammar School pupil, Charlton was spotted playing for East Northumberland schools by Manchester United chief scout Joe Armstrong.^[16] Charlton went on to play for England Schoolboys and the 15-year-old signed amateur forms with United on 1 January 1953 along with Wilf McGuinness, also aged 15.^[17] Initially his mother was reluctant to let him commit to an insecure football career, so he began an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer; however, he went on to turn professional in October 1954.^[18]

Charlton became one of the famed Busby Babes, the collection of talented footballers who emerged through the system at Old Trafford in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as Matt Busby set about a long-term plan of rebuilding the club after the Second World War.^[19] He worked his way through the pecking order of teams, scoring regularly for the youth and reserve sides before he was handed his first team debut against Charlton Athletic in October 1956 where he scored two goals in a game that finished 4–2.^[20] At the same time, he was doing his National service with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in Shrewsbury, where Busby had advised him to apply as it meant he could still play for Manchester United at the weekend. Also doing his army service in Shrewsbury at the same time was his United teammate Duncan Edwards.^[19]

Charlton played 17 times for United in that first season, scoring twice on his debut and managing a total of 12 goals in all competitions,^[21] and including a hat-trick in a 5–1 away win over Charlton Athletic in February.^[22] United won the league championship but were denied the 20th century's first "double" when they controversially lost the 1957 FA Cup Final to Aston Villa.^[23] Charlton, still only 19, was selected for the game, which saw United goalkeeper Ray Wood carried off with a broken cheekbone after a clash with Villa centre forward Peter McParland.^[24] Charlton was a candidate to go in goal to replace Wood (in the days before substitutes, and certainly before goalkeeping substitutes), but it was teammate Jackie Blanchflower who ended up playing in goal.^{[citation needed]}^[25]

Charlton was an established player by the time the next season was fully underway, which saw United, as current League champions, become the first English team to compete in the European Cup. Previously, the Football Association had scorned the competition, but United made progress, reaching the semi-finals where they lost to holders Real Madrid. Their reputation was further enhanced the next season in the 1957–58 European Cup as they reached the quarter-finals to play Red Star Belgrade. In the first leg at home, United won 2–1. The return in Yugoslavia saw Charlton score twice as United stormed 3–0 ahead, although the hosts came back to earn a 3–3 draw. However, United maintained their aggregate lead to reach the last four and were in jubilant mood as they left to catch their flight home, thinking of an important League game against Wolves at the weekend.^{[citation needed]}

Munich air disaster

[edit]

The aeroplane which took the United players and staff home from Zemun Airport needed to stop in Munich to refuel.^[26] This was carried out in worsening weather, and by the time the refuelling was complete and the call was made for the passengers to re-board the aircraft, the wintry showers had taken hold and snow had settled heavily on the runway and around the airport. There were two aborted take-offs which led to concern on board, and the passengers were advised by a stewardess to disembark again while a minor technical error was fixed.

The team were back in the airport terminal for barely ten minutes when the call came to reconvene on the plane, and a number of passengers began to feel nervous. Charlton and teammate Dennis Viollet swapped places with Tommy Taylor and David Pegg, who had decided they would be safer at the back of the plane.

The plane clipped the fence at the end of the runway on its next take-off attempt and a wing tore through a nearby house, setting it alight. The wing and part of the tail came off and hit a tree and a wooden hut, the plane spinning along the snow until coming to a halt. It had been cut in half.

Charlton, strapped into his seat, had fallen out of the cabin; when United goalkeeper Harry Gregg (who had somehow got through a hole in the plane unscathed and begun a one-man rescue mission) found him, he thought he was dead. Nevertheless, he grabbed both Charlton and Viollet by their trouser waistbands and dragged them away from the plane, in constant fear that it would explode. Gregg returned to the plane to try to help the appallingly injured Busby and Blanchflower, and when he turned around again, he was relieved to see that Charlton and Viollet, both of whom he had presumed to be dead, had got out of their detached seats and were looking into the wreckage.

Charlton suffered cuts to his head and severe shock, and was in hospital for a week. Seven of his teammates had perished at the scene, including Taylor and Pegg, with whom he and Viollet had swapped seats prior to the fatal take-off attempt. Club captain Roger Byrne was also killed, along with Mark Jones, Billy Whelan, Eddie Colman and Geoff Bent. Duncan Edwards died a fortnight later from the injuries he had sustained. In total, the crash claimed 23 lives. Initially, ice on the wings was blamed, but a later inquiry declared that slush on the runway had made a safe take-off almost impossible.

Of the 44 passengers and crew (including the 17-strong Manchester United squad), 23 people (eight of them Manchester United players) died as a result of their injuries in the crash. Charlton survived with minor injuries. Of the eight other players who survived, two of them were injured so badly that they never played again.

Charlton was the first injured survivor to leave hospital. Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes were not hospitalised, for they escaped uninjured. He arrived back in England on 14 February 1958, eight days after the crash. As he convalesced with family in Ashington, he spent some time kicking a ball around with local youths, and a famous photograph of him was taken. He was still only 20 years old, yet now there was an expectation that he would help with the rebuilding of the club as Busby's aides tried to piece together what remained of the season.

Between Harry Gregg's death in 2020 and his own in 2023, Charlton was the last living survivor of the crash.

Resuming his career

[edit]

Charlton returned to playing in a kickabout with local youths first and then in a practice match on 25 February. He initially said "I felt as slow as an old cart horse" but then his vigour returned and he then said "I feel fine and would like to play in the cup game at West Brom".^[27] This was an FA Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion on 1 March; the game was a draw and United won the replay 1–0. Not unexpectedly, United went out of the European Cup to A.C. Milan in the semi-finals to a 5–2 aggregate defeat and fell behind in the League. Yet somehow they reached their second consecutive FA Cup final, and the big day at Wembley coincided with Busby's return to work. However, Nat Lofthouse scored twice to give Bolton Wanderers a 2–0 win.

Further success with Manchester United came at last when they beat Leicester City 3–1 in the FA Cup final of 1963, with Charlton finally earning a winners' medal in his third final. Busby's post-Munich rebuilding programme continued to progress, with two League championships within three seasons, in 1965 and 1967. A successful (though trophyless) season with Manchester United saw him take the honours of Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and European Footballer of the Year into the competition.

Manchester United reached the 1968 European Cup Final, ten seasons after Munich. Even though other clubs had taken part in the competition in the intervening decade, the team which got to this final was still the first English side to do so. On a highly emotional night at Wembley, Charlton scored twice in a 4–1 win after extra time against Benfica and, as United captain, lifted the trophy.

During the early 1970s, Manchester United were no longer competing among the top teams in England, and at several stages were battling against relegation. At times, Charlton was not on speaking terms with United's other superstars, George Best and Denis Law, and Best refused to play in Charlton's testimonial match against Celtic, saying that "to do so would be hypocritical".^[28] Charlton left Manchester United at the end of the 1972–73 season, having scored 249 goals and set a club record of 758 appearances, a record which Ryan Giggs broke in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final.

Charlton's last game for Manchester United was against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 28 April 1973. Chelsea won the match 1–0.^[29] Coincidentally, this day also marked his brother Jackie's last appearance as well (for Leeds). Charlton's final goal for the club came a month earlier, on 31 March, in a 2–0 win at Southampton, also in the First Division.^[30]

Charlton was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life in 1969 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at The Sportsman's Club in central London.

International career

[edit]

Charlton's emergence as the country's leading young football talent was completed when he was called up to join the England squad for a British Home Championship game against Scotland at Hampden Park on 19 April 1958, just over two months after he had survived the Munich air disaster.^[31]

Charlton was handed his debut as England romped home 4–0, with the new player gaining even more admirers after scoring a magnificent thumping volley dispatched with authority after a cross by the left winger Tom Finney. He scored both goals in his second game as England beat Portugal 2–1 in a friendly at Wembley, and overcame obvious nerves on a return to Belgrade to play his third match against Yugoslavia; England lost that game 5–0 and Charlton played poorly.

Charlton was selected for the squad which competed at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but he did not play.^[32]

In 1959, Charlton scored a hat-trick as England demolished the US 8–1; and his second England hat-trick came in 1961 in an 8–0 thrashing of Mexico. He also managed to score in every British Home Championship tournament he played in except 1963 in an association with the tournament that lasted from 1958 to 1970 and included 16 goals and 10 tournament victories (five shared).

1962 World Cup

[edit]

Charlton played in qualifiers for the 1962 World Cup in Chile against Luxembourg and Portugal and was named in the squad for the finals themselves. His goal in the 3–1 group win over Argentina was his 25th for England in just 38 appearances, and he was still only 24 years old; but his individual success could not be replicated by that of the team, which was eliminated in the quarter-final by Brazil, who went on to win the tournament.

By now, England were coached by Alf Ramsey, who had managed to gain sole control of the recruitment and team selection procedure from the committee-based call-up system which had lasted up to the previous World Cup. Ramsey had already cleared out some of the older players who had been reliant on the loyalty of the committee for their continued selection. A hat-trick in the 8–1 rout of Switzerland in June 1963 took Charlton's England goal tally to 30, equalling the record jointly held by Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse; Charlton's 31st goal, against Wales in October the same year, gave him the record alone.

Charlton's role was developing from traditional inside-forward to what today would be termed an attacking midfield player, with Ramsey planning to build the team for the 1966 World Cup around him. When England beat the USA 10–0 in a friendly on 27 May 1964, he scored one goal, his 33rd at senior level for England.^[33]

His goals became a little less frequent, and indeed Jimmy Greaves, playing purely as a striker, overtook his England tally in October 1964. Nevertheless, Charlton was still scoring and creating freely, and as the tournament was about to start he was expected to become one of its stars and galvanise his established reputation as one of the world's best footballers.

1966 World Cup

[edit]

England drew the opening game of the tournament 0–0 with Uruguay. Charlton scored the first goal in the 2–0 win over Mexico. This was followed by an identical scoreline against France, allowing England to qualify for the quarter-finals, where they defeated Argentina 1–0. The game was the only international match in which Charlton received a caution.

They faced Portugal in the semi-finals. This turned out to be one of Charlton's most important games for England. Charlton opened the scoring with a crisp side-footed finish after a run by Roger Hunt had forced the Portuguese goalkeeper out of his net; his second was a sweetly struck shot after a run and pull-back from Geoff Hurst. Charlton and Hunt were now England's joint-highest scorers in the tournament with three each, and a final against West Germany beckoned.

The final turned out to be one of Charlton's quieter days; he and a young Franz Beckenbauer effectively marked each other out of the game. England won 4–2 after extra time, with the scores tied at 2–2 after 90 minutes, and England lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time.

Euro 1968

[edit]

Charlton's next England game was his 75th, as England beat Northern Ireland; after two more appearances he became England's second most-capped player, behind the veteran Billy Wright, who was approaching his 100th match when Charlton was starting out and ended with 105 caps.

Weeks later he scored his 45th England goal in a friendly against Sweden, breaking the record of 44 set the previous year by Jimmy Greaves. He was then in the England team which made it to the semi-finals of the 1968 European Championships, where they were knocked out by Yugoslavia in Florence. During the match Charlton struck a Yugoslav post. England defeated the Soviet Union 2–0 in the third place match.

In 1969, Charlton was appointed an OBE for services to football. More milestones followed as he won his 100th England cap on 21 April 1970 against Northern Ireland, and was made captain by Ramsey for the occasion. Inevitably, he scored; this was his 48th goal for his country – his 49th and final goal followed a month later in a 4–0 win over Colombia during a warm-up tour for the 1970 World Cup, designed to get the players adapted to altitude conditions. Charlton's inevitable selection by Ramsey for the tournament made him the first – and still, to date, only – England player to feature in four World Cup squads.

1970 World Cup

[edit]

Shortly before the World Cup, Charlton was involved in the Bogotá Bracelet incident in which he and Bobby Moore were accused of stealing a bracelet from a jewellery store. Moore was later arrested and detained for four days before being granted a conditional release, while Charlton was not arrested.

England began the tournament with two victories in the group stages, plus a memorable defeat against Brazil. Charlton played in all three, though was substituted for Alan Ball in the final game of the group against Czechoslovakia. Ramsey, confident of victory and progress to the quarter-final, wanted Charlton to rest.

England reached the last eight where they again faced West Germany. With England leading 2–1, Ramsey replaced Charlton with Colin Bell in the 69th minute: Germany went on to win 3–2 after extra time. England were eliminated and, after a record 106 caps and 49 goals, Charlton decided to end his international career at the age of 32. On the flight home from Mexico, he asked Ramsey not to consider him again. His brother Jack, two years his senior but 71 caps his junior, did likewise.

Charlton's caps record lasted until 1973, when Bobby Moore overtook him; as of October 2023, he lies seventh in the all-time England appearances list behind Moore, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Peter Shilton, whose own England career began in the first game after Charlton's had ended. Charlton's goalscoring record was surpassed by Wayne Rooney on 8 September 2015, when Rooney scored a penalty in a 2–0 win over Switzerland in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2016.^[34]

Style of play

[edit]

In his early years as a winger who played on the outside left, Charlton possessed great speed and agility. As he matured, Charlton was placed in an offensive midfield role where he flourished as a player. In his prime, Charlton was considered to be one of the greatest players in the world, being able to dictate a game with his accurate passing, and possessing a powerful shot with either foot, often scoring goals from a distance. Charlton also stood out for his stamina, mentality, leadership and modesty, never arguing with referees or opponents.^[35]

Longtime Manchester United manager Matt Busby said of Charlton: "There has never been a more popular footballer. He was as near perfection as man and player as it is possible to be." England national team coach Alf Ramsey remarked: "He was one of the greatest players I have ever seen, very much the linchpin of the 1966 team. Early in my management, I knew I had to find a role suitable to Bobby’s unique talents. He wasn’t just a great goalscorer, with a blistering shot using either foot. Bobby was a player who could also do his share of hard work."^[36]

Management career and directorships

[edit]

Charlton at an explosives demonstration for the Mines Advisory Group and his own land mine clearance charity, Find a Better Way, in 2008

Charlton became the manager of Preston North End in 1973, signing his former United and England teammate Nobby Stiles as player-coach. His first season ended in relegation, and although he began playing again, he left Preston early in the 1975–76 season after a disagreement with the board over the transfer of John Bird to Newcastle United.^[37]^[38] He was appointed a CBE that year and began a casual association with BBC for punditry on matches, which continued for many years. In early 1976, he scored once in three league appearances for Waterford United. He also made a handful of appearances for Australian clubs Newcastle KB United,^[39]^[40] Perth Azzurri^[41]^[42] and Blacktown City.^[43]

Charlton joined Wigan Athletic as a director, and was briefly caretaker manager there in 1983. He then spent some time playing in South Africa.^[44] He also built up several businesses in areas such as travel, jewellery and hampers, and ran soccer schools in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and China. In 1984, he was invited to become member of the board of directors at Manchester United, partly because of his football knowledge and partly because it was felt that the club needed a "name" on the board after the resignation of Sir Matt Busby.^[45] In June 2005, when the American Glazer family bought Manchester United amidst fan opposition, Charlton apologised to the new owners: "I tried to explain they couldn't ignore the fans, who are so emotionally involved in the club, but who sometimes do go a bit too far."^[46]

Personal life and retirement

[edit]

Charlton met his wife, Norma Ball, at an ice rink in Manchester in 1959 and they married in 1961. They had two daughters, Suzanne and Andrea. Suzanne was a weather forecaster for the BBC during the 1990s. They went on to have grandchildren, including Suzanne's son Robert, who is named in honour of his grandfather.^[47]^{[better source needed]}

In 2007, while publicising his forthcoming autobiography, Charlton revealed that he had a long-running feud with his brother Jack. They rarely spoke to each other after a falling-out between his wife Norma and his mother Cissie (who died in 1996 at the age of 83).^[48] Bobby Charlton did not see his mother after 1992 as a result of the feud.^[49]

Jack presented him with his BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award on 14 December 2008. He said that he was "knocked out" as he was presented the award by his brother. He received a standing ovation as he stood waiting for his prize.^[50]

Charlton helped to promote Manchester's bids for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, England's bid for the 2006 World Cup and London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[51] He received a knighthood in 1994 and was an Inaugural Inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. On accepting his award, he commented: "I'm really proud to be included in the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame. It's a great honour. If you look at the names included I have to say I couldn't argue with them. They are all great players and people I would love to have played with." He was also the (honorary) president of the National Football Museum, an organisation about which he said: "I can't think of a better museum anywhere in the world."^[52]

On 2 March 2009, Charlton was given the freedom of the city of Manchester. He stated: "I'm just so proud, it's fantastic. It's a great city. I have always been very proud of it."^[53]

Charlton was involved in a number of charitable activities, including fund raising for cancer hospitals.^[54] After visits to Bosnia and Cambodia, Charlton became involved in the cause of land mine clearance,^[55] and supported the Mines Advisory Group as well as founding his own charity, The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation (formerly Find a Better Way), which funds research into improved civilian landmine clearance.^[56]

In January 2011, Charlton was voted the fourth-greatest Manchester United player of all time by the readers of Inside United and ManUtd.com, behind Ryan Giggs (who topped the poll), Eric Cantona and George Best.^[57]

He was a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.^[58] On 6 February 2012, Charlton was taken to hospital after falling ill, and subsequently had a gallstone removed. This prevented him from collecting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards.^[59]

On 15 February 2016, Manchester United announced the South Stand of Old Trafford would be renamed in honour of Sir Bobby Charlton.^[60] The unveiling took place at the home game against Everton on 3 April 2016.^[61]

In 2015, he received a Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bath.

In October 2017, Charlton had a pitch named after him at St George's Park National Football Centre in Burton-upon-Trent.^[62]

In November 2020, it was revealed that Charlton had been diagnosed with dementia and as a result, he withdrew from public life.^[63]

Death

[edit]

Charlton died at Macclesfield District General Hospital in Macclesfield, Cheshire, on 21 October 2023, at the age of 86, from complications of a fall he sustained at the nursing home where he resided; at the subsequent inquest, the coroner recorded his cause of death as "trauma in the lungs, a fall and dementia".^[64]^[65] His death leaves Sir Geoff Hurst as the last surviving English player of the 1966 World Cup final.^[66]

Manchester United paid tribute to Charlton at their Champions League match against Copenhagen at Old Trafford three days later in a number of ways. First, United's players wore black armbands, and manager Erik ten Hag was flanked by Alex Stepney and U-21 captain Dan Gore before ten Hag laid a wreath and a minute's silence was observed before the match began. Another wreath was also laid in Charlton's seat in the director's box. In addition, the cover of United's match programme, the United Review, featured Charlton on the front, and supporters laid flowers and scarves at the United Trinity.^[67]

The funeral took place on 13 November. The main ceremony was at Manchester Cathedral but the procession called first at the Old Trafford stadium before going to the city centre. Crowds lined the streets and there were about a thousand guests at the service, including Prince William, Alex Ferguson and many others associated with the club. Elegies were read by David Gill and Charlton's grandson William Balderston and there was a musical tribute of "How Great Thou Art" sung by Russell Watson.^[68]

In popular culture

[edit]

In the episode "Taking Liberties" of the NBC American sitcom Frasier, Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), who is from Manchester, mentions that one of her uncles tried fanatically to get Charlton's autograph, "until Bobby cracked him over the head with a can of lager. Twelve stitches, and he still has the can!"^[69]
In the 2011 film United, centred on the successes of the Busby Babes and the decimation of the team in the Munich crash, Charlton was portrayed by actor Jack O'Connell.^[70]
In the episode "Munich Air Disaster" of the air crash documentary Mayday, Charlton was interviewed as a survivor in the show, alongside Harry Gregg.
In August 2024, Endrick, a rising star striker from Brazil who plays for Real Madrid, claimed Bobby Charlton was one of his idols and favourite players during a promotional interview with New Balance.

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United	1956–57	First Division	14	10	2	1	—		1	1	0	0	17	12
	1957–58	First Division	21	8	7	5	—		2	3	0	0	30	16
	1958–59	First Division	38	29	1	0	—		—		—		39	29
	1959–60	First Division	37	18	3	3	—		—		—		40	21
	1960–61	First Division	39	21	3	0	0	0	—		—		42	21
	1961–62	First Division	37	8	6	2	—		—		—		43	10
	1962–63	First Division	28	7	6	2	—		—		—		34	9
	1963–64	First Division	40	9	7	2	—		6	4	1	0	54	15
	1964–65	First Division	41	10	7	0	—		11	8	—		59	18
	1965–66	First Division	38	16	7	0	—		8	2	1	0	54	18
	1966–67	First Division	42	12	2	0	0	0	—		—		44	12
	1967–68	First Division	41	15	2	1	—		9	2	1	2	53	20
	1968–69	First Division	32	5	6	0	—		8	2	2	0	48	7
	1969–70	First Division	40	12	9	1	8	1	—		—		57	14
	1970–71	First Division	42	5	2	0	6	3	—		—		50	8
	1971–72	First Division	40	8	7	2	6	2	—		—		53	12
	1972–73	First Division	36	6	1	0	4	1	—		—		41	7
	Total		606	199	78	19	24	7	45	22	5	2	758	249
Preston North End	1974–75	Third Division	38	8	4	1	3	1	—		—		45	10
Waterford United	1975–76	League of Ireland	3	1	1	0	0	0	—		—		4	1
Newcastle KB United	1978	National Soccer League	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Perth Azzurri	1979	National Premier Leagues Western Australia	3	2	0	0	0	0	—		—		3	2
Blacktown City	1980	National Soccer League	1	1	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	1
Career total			652	211	83	20	27	8	45	22	5	2	812	263

International

[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
England^[71]	1958	6	7
	1959	7	5
	1960	8	6
	1961	9	6
	1962	8	1
	1963	10	6
	1964	8	2
	1965	5	2
	1966	15	6
	1967	4	2
	1968	8	3
	1969	9	1
	1970	9	2
Total		106	49

Honours

[edit]

Manchester United Youth

FA Youth Cup: 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56

Manchester United^[72]

Football League First Division: 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
FA Cup: 1962–63; runner-up: 1956–57, 1957–58
FA Charity Shield: 1965, 1967
European Cup: 1967–68

England^[72]

FIFA World Cup: 1966
UEFA European Championship third place: 1968
British Home Championship (outright): 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969
- (shared) 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1970

Individual^[72]

FUWO European Team of the Year: 1965,^[73] 1966,^[74] 1967,^[75] 1968^[76]
FWA Footballer of the Year: 1965–66
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1966
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1966, 1970
Ballon d'Or: 1966; runner-up: 1967, 1968
PFA Merit Award: 1974
FWA Tribute Award: 1989
FIFA World Cup All-Time Team: 1994
Football League 100 Legends: 1998
English Football Hall of Fame: 2002
FIFA 100: 2004
UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: 14th
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2008
UEFA President's Award: 2008^[77]
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: 2012
FIFA Player of the Century:
- FIFA internet vote: 16th
- IFFHS vote: 10th
World Soccer The Greatest Players of the 20th century: 12th^[78]
IFFHS Legends^[79]

Orders and special awards

See also

[edit]

List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

Bibliography

[edit]

Charlton, Sir Bobby (2007). The Autobiography: My Manchester United Years. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1619-9.
Charlton, Jack; Byrne, Peter (1996). The Autobiography. Partridge Press. ISBN 1-85225-256-1.
Hamilton, Duncan (2023). Answered Prayers: England and the 1966 World Cup. United Kingdom: Quercus Publishing. ISBN 9781529419986.

References

[edit]

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^ Lewis, Rhett (13 January 2022). "Best English Football Team: We Ask Sir Bobby Charlton". History Of Soccer. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
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^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
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^ ^a ^b Charlton 2007, p. 70.
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^ "Broken dreams: United and Villa in a game of two eras". The Independent. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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^ "Sir Bobby Charlton died after fall, inquest hears". BBC News. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
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^ "Emotional scenes as Man Utd pay tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
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^ "Robert "Bobby" Charlton - International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
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^ "FUWO 1966" (PDF). FCC-Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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^ "FUWO 1968" (PDF). FCC-Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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^ "Sir Bobby Charlton awarded Japanese Order". Japan Football Association. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bobby Charlton.

Awards

v t e 1966 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper	Gordon Banks
Defenders	George Cohen Vicente Bobby Moore Silvio Marzolini
Midfielders	Franz Beckenbauer Mário Coluna Bobby Charlton
Forwards	Flórián Albert Uwe Seeler Eusébio

v t e 1970 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper	Ladislao Mazurkiewicz
Defenders	Carlos Alberto Atilio Ancheta Franz Beckenbauer Giacinto Facchetti
Midfielders	Gérson Rivellino Bobby Charlton
Forwards	Pelé Gerd Müller Jairzinho

v t e FIFA World Cup Statistical Summary's Best Player
1930: Nasazzi 1934: Meazza 1938: Leônidas 1950: Zizinho 1954: Puskás 1958: Didi 1962: Garrincha 1966: Charlton 1970: Pelé 1974: Cruyff 1978: Kempes

v t e Inter-Cities Fairs Cup top scorers
1958: Eschmann, Evaristo, Holton & Tejada 1960: Kostić 1961: Manfredini 1962: Waldo 1963: Lojacono, Manfredini & Waldo 1964: Waldo 1965: Charlton & Law 1966: Zaldúa 1967: Albert 1968: Lorimer 1969: Dunai 1970: Van Himst 1971: Anastasi

European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning captains

European Cup era

UEFA Champions League era

v t e Ballon d'Or
France Football magazine award
Ballon d'Or (1956–2009)	1956: Matthews 1957: Di Stéfano 1958: Kopa 1959: Di Stéfano 1960: Suárez 1961: Sívori 1962: Masopust 1963: Yashin 1964: Law 1965: Eusébio 1966: Charlton 1967: Albert 1968: Best 1969: Rivera 1970: Müller 1971: Cruyff 1972: Beckenbauer 1973: Cruyff 1974: Cruyff 1975: Blokhin 1976: Beckenbauer 1977: Simonsen 1978: Keegan 1979: Keegan 1980: Rummenigge 1981: Rummenigge 1982: Rossi 1983: Platini 1984: Platini 1985: Platini 1986: Belanov 1987: Gullit 1988: van Basten 1989: van Basten 1990: Matthäus 1991: Papin 1992: van Basten 1993: Baggio 1994: Stoichkov 1995: Weah 1996: Sammer 1997: Ronaldo 1998: Zidane 1999: Rivaldo 2000: Figo 2001: Owen 2002: Ronaldo 2003: Nedvěd 2004: Shevchenko 2005: Ronaldinho 2006: Cannavaro 2007: Kaká 2008: C. Ronaldo 2009: Messi
FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)	2010: Messi 2011: Messi 2012: Messi 2013: C. Ronaldo 2014: C. Ronaldo 2015: Messi
Ballon d'Or (2016–present)	2016: C. Ronaldo 2017: C. Ronaldo 2018: Modrić 2019: Messi 2020: not awarded 2021: Messi 2022: Benzema 2023: Messi 2024: Rodri
Ballon d'Or additional awards (Ballon d'Or Féminin, Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, Gerd Müller Trophy, Sócrates Award, Super Ballon d'Or, Ballon d'Or Dream Team) Related awards (French Player of the Year, FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015), FIFA World Player of the Year (1991–2009), The Best FIFA Men's Player)

FWA Footballer of the Year

1948: Matthews
1949: Carey
1950: Mercer
1951: Johnston
1952: Wright
1953: Lofthouse
1954: Finney
1955: Revie
1956: Trautmann
1957: Finney
1958: Blanchflower
1959: Owen
1960: Slater
1961: Blanchflower
1962: Adamson
1963: Matthews
1964: Moore
1965: Collins
1966: B. Charlton
1967: J. Charlton
1968: Best
1969: Book & Mackay
1970: Bremner
1971: McLintock
1972: Banks
1973: Jennings
1974: Callaghan
1975: Mullery
1976: Keegan
1977: Hughes
1978: Burns
1979: Dalglish
1980: McDermott
1981: Thijssen
1982: Perryman
1983: Dalglish
1984: Rush
1985: Southall
1986: Lineker
1987: Allen
1988: Barnes
1989: Nicol
1990: Barnes
1991: Strachan
1992: Lineker
1993: Waddle
1994: Shearer
1995: Klinsmann
1996: Cantona
1997: Zola
1998: Bergkamp
1999: Ginola
2000: Keane
2001: Sheringham
2002: Pires
2003: Henry
2004: Henry
2005: Lampard
2006: Henry
2007: Ronaldo
2008: Ronaldo
2009: Gerrard
2010: Rooney
2011: Parker
2012: Van Persie
2013: Bale
2014: Suárez
2015: Hazard
2016: Vardy
2017: Kanté
2018: Salah
2019: Sterling
2020: Henderson
2021: Dias
2022: Salah
2023: Haaland
2024: Foden

v t e FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
Goalkeeper	Lev Yashin
Defenders	Djalma Santos Franz Beckenbauer Bobby Moore Paul Breitner
Midfielders	Johan Cruyff Michel Platini Bobby Charlton
Forwards	Garrincha Pelé / Ferenc Puskás

v t e European Team of the 20th Century
Goalkeeper	Lev Yashin
Defenders	Paolo Maldini Franz Beckenbauer Bobby Moore Franco Baresi
Midfielders	Johan Cruyff Bobby Charlton Michel Platini
Forwards	/ Ferenc Puskás Eusébio Marco van Basten

v t e IFFHS Men's European Team of the 20th Century
Goalkeeper	Lev Yashin
Defenders	Franco Baresi Franz Beckenbauer Bobby Moore
Midfielders	Lothar Matthäus Bobby Charlton Michel Platini Johan Cruyff
Forwards	/ Ferenc Puskás Gerd Müller Eusébio

v t e FIFA 100
UEFA	Baggio Ballack Banks Baresi Van Basten Beckenbauer Beckham Bergkamp Bergomi Best Boniek Boniperti Breitner Buffon Butragueño Cantona Ceulemans Charlton Cruyff Dalglish Dasayev Davids Del Piero Desailly Deschamps Emre Eusébio Facchetti Figo Fontaine Gullit Hagi Henry Kahn Keane Keegan R. van de Kerkhof W. van de Kerkhof Klinsmann Kluivert Kopa B. Laudrup M. Laudrup Lineker Luis Enrique Maier Maldini Masopust Matthäus Müller Nedvěd Neeskens Nesta Van Nistelrooy Owen Papin Pfaff Pires Platini Puskás Raúl Rensenbrink Rijkaard Rivera Rossi Rui Costa Rummenigge Rüştü Schmeichel Seedorf Seeler Shearer Shevchenko Stoichkov Šuker Thuram Totti Trésor Trezeguet Van der Elst Vieira Vieri Zidane Zoff
CONMEBOL	Carlos Alberto Batistuta Cafu Crespo Cubillas Di Stéfano Falcão Figueroa Francescoli Júnior Kempes Maradona Passarella Pelé Rivaldo Rivelino Roberto Carlos Romário Romerito Ronaldinho Ronaldo Djalma Santos Nílton Santos Saviola Sívori Sócrates Valderrama Verón Zamorano Zanetti Zico
CAF	Diouf Milla Okocha Abedi Pelé Weah
CONCACAF	Akers Hamm Sánchez
AFC	Hong M.B. Nakata

Football League 100 Legends

English Football Hall of Fame

Players

Men

Women

Managers

Referees

Taylor
Welch

FWA Tribute Award

1983: Greenwood
1984: Paisley
1985: Brooking
1986: Jennings
1987: Dalglish
1988: Finney
1989: Charlton
1990: Moore
1991: Shilton
1992: Bo. Robson
1993: Clough
1994: Law
1995: Matthews
1996: Ferguson
1997: Lineker
1998: Hurst
1999: Smith
2000: Best
2001: Shearer
2002: Taylor
2003: Adams
2004: Hill
2005: Wenger
2006: Br. Robson
2007: Giggs
2008: Beckham
2009: Redknapp
2010: Lampard
2011: Henry
2012: Neville & Scholes
2013: Gerrard
2014: Mourinho
2015: Drogba
2016: Vieira
2017: Rooney
2018: Pelé
2019: Southgate
2020: Kompany
2021: Rashford
2023: Touré
2024: Hayes

UEFA President's Award

1998: Delors
1999: Not awarded
2000: Roux
2001: Santisteban
2002: Robson
2003: Maldini
2004: Walker
2005: Rijkaard
2006: Straub
2007: Di Stéfano
2008: Charlton
2009: Eusébio
2010: Kopa
2011: Rivera
2012: Beckenbauer
2013: Cruyff
2014: Masopust
2015: Not awarded
2016: Not awarded
2017: Totti
2018: Beckham
2019: Cantona
2020: Drogba
2021: Kjær (shared with the Danish medical team)
2022: Sacchi
2023: Klose
2024: Buffon

Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award

2000: Pelé
2001: Steve Redgrave
2002: Peter Blake
2003: Gary Player
2004: Arne Næss Jr.
2005: No award
2006: Johan Cruyff
2007: Franz Beckenbauer
2008: Sergey Bubka
2009: No award
2010: Nawal El Moutawakel
2011: Zinedine Zidane
2012: Bobby Charlton
2013: Sebastian Coe
2014: No award
2015: No award
2016: Niki Lauda
2017: No award
2018: Edwin Moses
2019: Arsène Wenger
2020: Dirk Nowitzki
2021: Billie Jean King
2022: Tom Brady
2023: No award
2024: No award
2025: Kelly Slater

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award

1996: Frank Bruno
1997: Seve Ballesteros
1998: No award
1999: No award
2000: No award
2001: Alex Ferguson
2002: George Best
2003: Martina Navratilova
2004: Ian Botham
2005: Pelé
2006: Björn Borg
2007: Bobby Robson
2008: Bobby Charlton
2009: Seve Ballesteros
2010: David Beckham
2011: Steve Redgrave
2012: Sebastian Coe
2013: No award
2014: Chris Hoy
2015: Tony McCoy
2016: Michael Phelps
2017: Jessica Ennis-Hill
2018: Billie Jean King
2019: Tanni Grey-Thompson
2020: No award
2021: Simone Biles
2022: Usain Bolt
2023: Kenny Dalglish

England squads

v t e England squad – 1958 FIFA World Cup
1 McDonald 2 Howe 3 Banks 4 Clamp 5 Wright (c) 6 Slater 7 Douglas 8 Robson 9 Kevan 10 Haynes 11 Finney 12 Hopkinson 13 Hodgkinson 14 Sillett 15 Clayton 16 Norman 17 Brabrook 18 Broadbent 19 Smith 20 Charlton 21 A'Court 22 Setters Coach: Winterbottom

v t e England squad – 1962 FIFA World Cup
1 Springett 2 Armfield 3 Wilson 4 Robson 5 Swan 6 Flowers 7 Connelly 8 Greaves 9 Hitchens 10 Haynes (c) 11 Charlton 12 Hodgkinson 13 Kevan 14 Anderson 15 Norman 16 Moore 17 Douglas 18 Hunt 19 Peacock 20 Eastham 21 Howe 22 Adamson Coach: Winterbottom

v t e England squad – 1966 FIFA World Cup winners (1st title)
1 Banks 2 Cohen 3 Wilson 4 Stiles 5 J. Charlton 6 Moore (c) 7 Ball 8 Greaves 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Connelly 12 Springett 13 Bonetti 14 Armfield 15 Byrne 16 Peters 17 Flowers 18 Hunter 19 Paine 20 Callaghan 21 Hunt 22 Eastham Coach: Ramsey

v t e England squad – UEFA Euro 1968 third place
1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Wilson 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore (c) 7 Ball 8 Hunt 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Stepney 13 West 14 Knowles 15 J. Charlton 16 Wright 17 Stiles 18 Summerbee 19 Hunter 20 Bell 21 Greaves 22 Thompson Coach: Ramsey

v t e England squad – 1970 FIFA World Cup
1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Cooper 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore (c) 7 Lee 8 Ball 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Bonetti 13 Stepney 14 Wright 15 Stiles 16 Hughes 17 J. Charlton 18 Hunter 19 Bell 20 Osgood 21 Clarke 22 Astle Coach: Ramsey

Managerial positions

Preston North End F.C. – managers

Sudell (1881–95)
Parker (1906–15)
Hayes (1919–23)
Lawrence (1923–25)
Richards (1925–27)
Gibson (1927–31)
Hayes (1931–32)
Muirhead (1936–37)
Taylor^c (1938)
Scott (1949–53)
Symon (1953–54)
Milne^c (1954)
Hill (1954–56)
Britton (1956–61)
Milne (1961–68)
Seith (1968–70)
Nicholson^c (1970)
Ball (1970–73)
Lord^c (1973)
Charlton (1973–75)
Stiles^c (1975)
A. Kelly^c (1975)
Catterick (1975–77)
Stiles (1977–81)
Docherty (1981)
A. Kelly (1981)
Lee (1981–83)
A. Kelly (1983–85)
Booth (1985–86)
Kidd (1986)
Clark^c (1986)
McGrath (1986–90)
Chapman (1990–92)
Allardyce^c (1992)
Beck (1992–94)
Peters (1994–98)
Moyes (1998–2002)
O'Hanlon^c (2002)
C. Brown (2002–04)
Davies (2004–06)
Simpson (2006–07)
R. Kelly^c (2007)
Irvine (2007–09)
R. Kelly^c (2009–10)
Ferguson (2010)
Unsworth^c (2010–11)
P. Brown (2011)
Alexander & Unsworth^c (2011–12)
Westley (2012–13)
Dreyer^c (2013)
Grayson (2013–17)
Thompson^c (2017)
Neil (2017–21)
McAvoy (2021)
Lowe (2021–24)
Marsh^c (2024)
Heckingbottom (2024–)

(c) caretaker

Wigan Athletic F.C. – managers

Spencer (1932–37)
J. Milne (1946–47)
Pryde (1949–52)
Goodier (1952–54)
Crook (1954–55)
Suart (1955–56)
B. Cook (1956)
Barkas (1957)
Hitchen (1957–58)
Barrass (1958–59)
Shirley (1959)
Murphy (1959–60)
Chilton (1960)
Ball (1960–63)
Brown (1963–66)
Craig (1966–67)
Leyland (1967–68)
Saunders (1968)
McNeill (1968–70)
G. Milne (1970–72)
Rigby (1972–74)
Tiler (1974–76)
McNeill (1976–81)
Eyre (1981)
Lloyd (1981–83)
Charlton (1983)
McNally (1983–85)
Hamilton (1985–86)
Mathias (1986–89)
Hamilton (1989–93)
Philpotts (1993)
Swain (1993–94)
Barrow (1994–95)
Cribley (1995)
Deehan (1995–98)
Mathias (1998–99)
Benson (1999–2000)
Rioch (2000–01)
Greenall (2001)
Bruce (2001)
Jewell (2001–07)
Hutchings (2007)
Barlow (2007)
Bruce (2007–09)
Martínez (2009–13)
Coyle (2013)
Barrow (2013)
Rösler (2013–14)
Mackay (2014–15)
Caldwell (2015–16)
Joyce (2016–17)
Barrow (2017)
P. Cook (2017–20)
Richardson (2020)
Sheridan (2020)
Richardson (2020–22)
Kelly (2022)
Touré (2022–23)
Maloney (2023–25)
Lowe (2025–)

v t e Munich air disaster
6 February 1958
Deaths	Geoff Bent Roger Byrne Eddie Colman Walter Crickmer Tom Curry Donny Davies Duncan Edwards Mark Jones David Pegg Kenneth Rayment Frank Swift Tommy Taylor Bert Whalley Billy Whelan
Survivors	Johnny Berry Jackie Blanchflower Matt Busby Bobby Charlton Bill Foulkes Harry Gregg Kenny Morgans Albert Scanlon Frank Taylor James Thain Dennis Viollet Ray Wood