Bobby Charlton, Manchester United player

No player has a greater claim to the title ‘Mr Manchester United’ than Sir Bobby Charlton. One of Busby’s babes, Charlton survived the Munich air disaster, was an integral part of the successful team of the 1960s, led Manchester United to their first ever European Cup win in 1967-1968 and captained the club for six years between 1967 and 1973. He has scored more goals for Manchester United than any other player and, until recently, also held the record for number of appearances. Since 1984 Charlton has been a director of the club, a post he continues to hold.

Bobby Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland, in 1937. His mother was a member of the famous Milburn footballing family and his older brother, Jack, also grew up to play professional football. In 1953 Charlton was found by Matt Busby’s newly-formed scouting system and persuaded to come to Manchester United. As one of Busby’s babes, he was nurtured by assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, and slowly introduced into the Manchester United first team. He played his first senior game in 1956 and was a member of the team that won the League in 1956-1957. In February 1958 he was on the airplane that crashed on take-off at Munich’s Riem Airport. Charlton escaped with minor injuries, but a number of his friends and colleagues died. In the months and years after the accident, Charlton became a senior member of the side ahead of his time. In the 1960s he was at the heart of the successful side that won Cups and Championships. After the 1965-1966 season he was voted the Football Writers’ Player of the Year and later in 1966 the European Footballer of the Year. In 1967-1968 he led Manchester United to victory in the European Cup, scoring twice in the final against Benfica at Wembley. He remained club captain for a further five years, until his retirement at the end of the 1972-1973 season. During his playing days he represented England on 106 occasions, scoring forty-nine goals. His England career included winning the World Cup in 1966.

For Manchester United, Charlton played as a winger, an inside forward, and in the centre of midfield. He could accurately pass a ball over long distances and he could shoot with power. He had balance and poise on the ball and rapid acceleration that took him past opponents. While playing, Charlton never lost his self-control. Throughout his career, he was never sent-off and his only booking was subsequently rescinded. He was definitely the most irenic member of ‘The United Trinity’. He suffered few injuries across the years which helped towards his record number of appearances. (Charlton’s appearances record was broken by Ryan Giggs at the end of the 2007-2008 season.)

After leaving Manchester United, Charlton had brief spells managing Preston North End and Wigan. In 1984 he returned to Manchester United as a director and in 1994 he was knighted for services to football. He is still regularly seen at Old Trafford (which he famously named ‘the theatre of dreams’), his enthusiasm for the club remains undiminished and, to many across the world, he still is ‘Mr Manchester United’.

At the end of 2008, Charlton was awarded a BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement award and, in March 2009, he was granted the freedom of the city of Manchester.