MANCHESTER, England — Bobby Charlton, an English football legend instrumental in his country’s 1966 World Cup victory, was saved from a plane accident that destroyed a Manchester United squad destined for greatness. Charlton has since passed away. At the time, he was 86.

In a statement from Charlton’s family, United stated that he passed away on Saturday while in the company of his loved ones.

Charlton, an exceptionally talented midfielder with a ferocious strike, surpassed Wayne Rooney as the all-time leading scorer for over four decades for Manchester United (249 goals) and England (49 goals).

United stated, “Not only in Manchester or the United Kingdom, but wherever football is played in the world, Sir Bobby was a hero to millions.”

“In addition to his exceptional football prowess, his sportsmanship and integrity garnered enormous admiration; Sir Bobby will perpetually be commemorated as a footballing titan.”

Before Charlton’s passing, Alex Ferguson, United’s manager from 1986 to 2013, proclaimed him “the greatest Manchester United player of all time,” which is a statement that goes without stating.

“Bobby Charlton is without any comparison in the annals of English football history,” stated Ferguson.

Additionally, Charlton was esteemed for his modesty, self-control, and fair play. He was never dismissed in 758 appearances for United between 1956 and 1973 and 106 internationals for England between 1958 and 1970.

Charlton, along with George Best and Denis Law, was a member of the renowned “Trinity” that guided Manchester United to the 1968 European Cup following their survival of the 1958 Munich accident that claimed the lives of the renowned “Busby Babes” squad. At United, he won three English league championships and one FA Cup.

“He displayed an unprecedented blend of grace, strength, and accuracy for a footballer,” said Bill Foulkes, a former United defender and fellow survivor of the Munich air disaster.

“What ensued was not only greatness but also an additional quality that I can only describe as beauty.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarded Charlton as a “football legend whose influence pervaded generations.” According to Manchester United legend David Beckham, Charlton was “truly a national hero.” Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of Britain, referred to him as “one of the game’s greatest players.”

Before September 2015, when Wayne Rooney scored his 50th goal for the national team, Charlton held the England scoring record. Charlton, who played every minute for England in the 1966 World Cup, scored three of the team’s four goals. In particular, he distinguished himself in the semifinals against Portugal by securing two goals to propel England to its first major final.

The final result was England’s 4-2 victory over West Germany following extra time.

While Ryan Giggs surpassed Charlton’s record for most appearances for United in 2008, his club scoring streak persisted for an additional nine years. Rooney scored his 250th goal for United in 2017, forty-four years after Charlton last donned the renowned red jersey of England’s most successful club.

Following his retirement in 1973, Charlton entered the coaching profession and established a junior program in which Beckham participated.

Charlton reinstated Ferguson as United’s director in 1984, following brief tenures at Preston, Wigan, and Irish club Waterford. In 1986, he convinced the board to appoint Ferguson, who oversaw the club for nearly 27 years and won 38 trophies.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, Charlton remains a fixture at Old Trafford, where he is commemorated alongside Best and Law on a statue outside United’s stadium.

Charlton averted the controversies and diversions that harmed Best’s career; his reputation transcended the tribalism of club and international football due to his distinctive style and demeanor.

“In a 2001 magazine interview, I felt he could be a bit aloof,” the late Best stated. “We never engaged in a dispute; rather, we abstained from sharing a pint together.”

Charlton was identified as having been diagnosed with dementia in November 2020. This condition claimed the lives of his sibling Jack (who passed away in 2020 at the age of 85) and another World Cup champion, Nobby Stiles.

Geoff Hurst, who achieved a hat trick in the 1966 final, is the sole surviving member of that England squad due to Charlton’s demise.

“Neither will all of football forget him, nor will we,” Hurst said of Charlton on X, formerly Twitter. “Beyond the realm of sports, he will be sorely missed by the nation as a tremendous colleague and friend.”

Robert Charlton, born in the coal-mining town of Ashington, northeast England, on October 11, 1937, displayed his aptitude at an early age.

“Around the age of five, we realised Bobby was going to be a bit special as a player,” his older brother Jack explained. “Whenever he attempted to kick a tennis ball or football against a wall, the rebound clung to him like a magnet.”

Charlton documented 2007 that his family occasionally subsisted on illicitly procured salmon or rabbit for sustenance, whereas his father, also named Robert, procured and sold coal that had washed up on nearby coastlines to supplement his earnings.

Due to his father’s dedication to his mining colleagues, he could not witness Charlton score both goals in the 1966 World Cup semifinal against Portugal. This was because he wanted to avoid requiring another individual to fill in for him in the mine. Nonetheless, his attendance at the championship match was confirmed when the Charlton brothers hoisted the trophy.

After leaving school at 15, Charlton embarked on his professional debut in Manchester, a distant location, three years later, against Charlton in 1956.

A tragic event occurred in the tightly bound squad of United players, whose bond was established during their arduous training period within two years. While the group was still rejoicing in victory at Red Star Belgrade and securing a spot in the semifinals of the European Cup, their aircraft caught fire during its third attempt to take off in heavy snow following a refueling halt in Germany.

Charlton, remarkably escaping the charred wreckage with only minor head injuries, made his way to assist survivors by sifting through the debris. As soon as Charlton noticed manager Matt Busby sobbing uncontrollably on the smoke-engulfed runway, he raced to assist the mentor who had elevated him to the first team.

However, eight members of the 23-manageable “Busby Babes” team, filled with promising individuals, perished. At 21, Duncan Edwards was regarded as one of the most talented athletes in England.

“At times, the knowledge that I walked away and discovered so much fills me with dreadful ire, regret, melancholy, and guilt,” Charlton wrote in 2007.

Charlton, motivated by an enduring duty to honor the recollections of the Munich victims, resumed competition in less than four weeks and assisted a hastily constructed squad consisting of survivors and substitutes in reaching the FA Cup final of that season.

Busby reconstructed his squad around Charlton, adding the English league championships won in 1957, 1965, and 1967.

Charlton stated, “There was always one great hope: the return to greatness of my beloved club.”

1968 marked the pinnacle of his club tenure, with Manchester United becoming the first English club to win the European Championship. Charlton defeated Benfica 4-1 in extra time, with two goals from the club, including the legendary Eusebio of Portugal.

However, Charlton is best recognized for participating in the World Cup-winning England squad. It continues to be the sole national championship won by England in men’s football.

A dispute arose between Charlton and his brother due to Jack’s public claim that Bobby’s wife caused his estrangement from his mother. Jack, however, presented Bobby with a lifetime achievement trophy at the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award after the two reconciled.

Bobby Charlton stated, “We have had our public disputes, which demonstrates that discord can sometimes disrupt the force of love and blood in any family, but I never lost the sense of awe and gratitude that we were together in 1966 on such a momentous occasion in the history of our country’s sport.”

In the final years of his existence, Charlton was seldom observed in public due to his dementia diagnosis. However, he was never forgotten.

After receiving the diagnosis, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford wrote of Charlton, “From day one, he embodied everything I aspired to be.” “Talented, courteous, professional, and caring.”

Phil Neville, an additional former Manchester United player, stated that Charlton deserved to be considered a football great alongside Pele, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi due to his accomplishments and how he accomplished them.

“He is on par with those other athletes,” Neville said on NBC on Saturday.

His wife, Norma, whom he married in 1961, and his two daughters survived him.

SOURCE – (AP)