Football: Manchester United and 1966 Ballon d’Or legend Sir Bobby Charlton is dead

More than an icon, one of the best players of all time. Sir Bobby Charlton, the legendary Manchester United and England striker, died this Friday at the age of 86. “Words will never be enough,” the English club soberly wrote on X, formerly Twitter, accompanied by a black and white photograph of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Scoring 249 goals in a Red Devils shirt in 758 appearances over 17 years (1956-1973), he was also a serial goalscorer for the Three Lions with 49 goals in 106 appearances. Most notably, he won the World Cup in 1966, becoming the competition’s best player, and in the same year he won the Ballon d’Or. He played in four World Cups in an England shirt and his brace against Eusebio’s Portugal in the 1966 semi-final remains memorable.

His club record is equally extensive, with three Premier League titles (1957, 1965 and 1967) as well as the 1968 Champions League, during which he scored a brace in the final against Benfica Lisbon. He is the Red Devils’ second most capped player behind Ryan Giggs (963 appearances) and the club’s second top scorer behind Wayne Rooney (253 goals). He was one of the most famous wearers of Manchester United’s famous number seven, along with Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sir Bobby Charlton, knighted by the Queen in 1994, also dedicated the rest of his life to Manchester United, remaining with the English club for almost 40 years. In December 2020, the English football legend was diagnosed with dementia. The revelation prompted the English Championship to take shock measures to protect players who were concussed on the pitch.

His club are due to pay tribute to him this Saturday night at 9pm during his trip to Sheffield. The ceremony could take place on Tuesday during United’s next home match against Copenhagen in the Champions League.