Sir Bobby Charlton Passes Away Surrounded By Family, Man Utd Mourn Giant Of The Game
Considering the first and only time England won the World Cup was in 1966, not many living English players have a winner’s medal.
One of them was Sir Bobby Charlton, but he will sadly not be able to say this any more.
That’s because the legendary Manchester United player has passed away at the age of 86.
Sir Bobby Charlton passes away peacefully on 21 Oct
Sir Bobby’s passing was announced by the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation in a statement on Instagram.
They said the 86-year-old passed away peacefully on Saturday (21 Oct) morning, and will be “tremendously missed and lovingly remembered”.
His family, in a statement quoted by The Guardian, also announced the news with great sadness.
They said he was surrounded by family when he passed.
Sir Bobby indelibly linked to Man Utd
Sir Bobby was undoubtedly a legendary player, having won and experienced almost everything as a footballer.
He is most indelibly linked to Manchester United, where he plied his trade for 17 years — appearing in 758 games and scoring 249 goals for the club. They even named a stand in Old Trafford after him.
In a statement, Manchester United said they were in mourning following the passing of “one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club”.
He survived Munich air disaster
At just 20 years of age, Sir Bobby was involved in the horrific Munich air disaster that took the lives of eight of his fellow Manchester United teammates.
While he was one of the survivors, his team was decimated.
In fact, till his passing on Saturday, he was also the last remaining survivor of the crash.
He won World Cup in 1966
Of course, Sir Bobby famously recovered and went on to win three English league titles with Manchester United, plus an FA Cup.
He then went on to win the World Cup with England in 1966, scoring three goals during the tournament.
He also played at the 1962 and 1970 World Cups.
Eventually, he ended up earning a total of 106 caps for England, scoring 49 goals.
He was also awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1966 for his contributions to the winning team.
Won European Cup in 1968
Another of Sir Bobby’s crowning achievements was winning the European Cup with Manchester United in 1968.
This was especially emotional given the terrible air crash the team suffered 10 years earlier.
Finally, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for services to football in 1994.
Sir Bobby Charlton leaves void after he passes away
After all he’s done, the passing of Sir Bobby leaves a void in the football world indeed.
He leaves behind his wife Norma, his daughters, and grandchildren.
Our condolences to his loved ones, friends and fans over the passing of a true legend.
Also read: Pelé Passes Away At Age 82, Legendary Brazilian Footballer Won 3 World Cups
Pelé Passes Away At Age 82, Legendary Brazilian Footballer Won 3 World Cups
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Featured image adapted from Premier League on X and KELLYUTD on X.