Bobby Charlton

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Lore & Background

At international level, Charlton was named in the England squad for four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970), though he did not play in the first. At the time of his retirement from the England team in 1970, he was the nation's most capped player, having turned out 106 times at the highest level; Bobby Moore overtook this in 1973. Charlton was the long-time record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England, and United's long-time record appearance maker – his total of 758 matches for United took until 2008 to be beaten, when Ryan Giggs did so in that year's Champions League final. With 249 goals, he was the club's highest all-time goalscorer for more than 40 years, until his record was surpassed by Wayne Rooney in 2017. He is also the third-highest goalscorer for England; his record of 49 goals was beaten in 2015 by Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.

In Their Own Story

On 6 February 1958, Charlton was returning to England with the Manchester United Team after a European Cup match in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), having eliminated Red Star Belgrade to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The aeroplane which took the United players and staff home from Zemun Airport needed to stop in Munich to refuel. There were two aborted take-offs which led to concern on board. Charlton and teammate Dennis Viollet swapped places with Tommy Taylor and David Pegg, who had decided they would be safer at the back of the plane. The plane clipped the fence at the end of the runway on its next take-off attempt and a wing tore through a nearby house, setting it alight. Charlton, strapped into his seat, had fallen out of the cabin; when United goalkeeper Harry Gregg (who had somehow got through a hole in the plane unscathed and begun a one-man rescue mission) found him, he thought he was dead. Nevertheless, he grabbed both Charlton and Viollet by their trouser waistbands and dragged them away from the plane. Charlton suffered cuts to his head and severe shock, and was in hospital for a week. Seven of his teammates had perished at the scene, including Taylor and Pegg, with whom he and Viollet had swapped seats prior to the fatal take-off attempt. Duncan Edwards died a fortnight later from the injuries he had sustained. In total, the crash claimed 23 lives. Charlton was the first injured survivor to leave hospital.

Reader's Guide

Bobby Charlton's World Cup career spans four tournaments: 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970, though he did not play in the first. He was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 1967 and 1968. With success at club and international level, he was one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup–winning team, was a defender for Leeds United and also for ten years was the manager of the Republic of Ireland. At the time of his retirement from the England team in 1970, he was the nation's most capped player, having turned out 106 times at the highest level. He is the third-highest goalscorer for England; his record of 49 goals was beaten in 2015 by Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.

Did You Know?

• Charlton was cautioned only twice in his career: once against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup, and once in a league match against Chelsea.
• He was one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or.
• Charlton was the last survivor of the Munich air disaster from the club.
• He scored two goals in the 1968 European Cup final to help Manchester United become the first English club to win the competition.
• His record of 49 goals for England was beaten in 2015 by Wayne Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.