From pit village to world beater, Sir Bobby Charlton dies aged 86
Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the world's most admired footballers and a uniquely British hero, died yesterday aged 86.
As tributes flowed from all corners of the globe, many recalled his sportsmanship, dignity and integrity. For others, it was his ability to inspire. All spoke of his long and distinguished career and, of course, his artistry – the dazzling runs and those rocketing long-range goals.
To those who knew him best, though, it was his innate modesty, his sense of never quite believing his own good fortune.
The 1966 World Cup winner was once praised by Sir Alex Ferguson as an example for anyone entering football. 'Success can change people, and it's never changed Bobby Charlton,' he said. 'He is what he is: quiet, shy and I think it's fantastic.'
A survivor of the 1958 Munich air crash that claimed eight of his Manchester United teammates, Sir Bobby once described his life as a miracle. 'I see one privilege heaped upon another,' he said. 'I wonder all over again how so much could come to one man simply because he was able to do something which for him was so natural and easy, and which he knew from the start he loved to do.'
When he was knighted in 1994 it was noted that the Queen had finally recognised what football fans had known for years – there's only one Bobby Charlton. The title 'Sir' did not sit comfortably with him. 'I've always been Bobby,' he said at the time. 'I expect my friends will still call me that.'
Not that he wasn't thrilled. 'This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, better than winning the World Cup,' he declared. From that all-conquering 1966 team, only Sir Geoff Hurst now survives. Yesterday he called Sir Bobby 'one of the greats and a great colleague and friend who will be sorely
Read on m.allfootballapp.com
