A further homage to Sir Bobby Charlton is anticipated from Manchester United prior to Tuesday night’s Champions League encounter at Old Trafford.
Following Charlton’s passing at the age of 86, fans showered the United Trinity statue outside the stadium with flowers and scarves on Sunday. Many of them left very personal messages for one of the club’s most well-known sons.
As members of the United team and current manager Erik Ten Hag shared their condolences at Carrington, a book of condolence was opened at the stadium’s International Suite.
In advance of Tuesday night’s Champions League Group A encounter against Copenhagen, United stated that talks with Charlton’s family and UEFA are still ongoing.
It is expected players will wear black armbands, with wreaths to be laid on the Old Trafford pitch and a minute’s silence observed ahead of kick-off.
A key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team, Charlton also enjoyed great success at club level with United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.
Charlton made his debut for United in 1956 and went on to play 758 matches, scoring 249 goals.
Before they were surpassed by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, respectively, both were long-standing club records. In 1994, he was knighted for his services to football.
After leaving United in 1973 to manage Preston and win three league titles and one FA Cup at Old Trafford, Charlton returned to the Red Devils eleven years later as a club director.
In the summer of 2013, David Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United’s manager. However, the former Everton manager departed the team after just ten months, with the team sitting seventh in the Premier League standings.
Now in charge at West Ham, Moyes reflected on the support shown by Charlton during what was one of the most testing spells of his managerial career.
“I’m deeply saddened and I send my condolences to all his family. The biggest thing everyone remembers, more than anything, is how great a man he was. He was such a good man,” Moyes said, quoted on West Ham’s club website.
“For me, it was difficult at times at Manchester United and he was incredibly supportive and always had something to say to me.
“He had a great wife in Lady Norma and even when I lost my job; she phoned my wife up, which was important at the time.
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“For me, he carried off all the things that Manchester United were good for. He showed the traditions, he showed exactly how it should be.
“He showed great humility wherever he went, but not only that at Manchester United, he was ultimately one of the main people in English football over the years.
“When you think of the greats who have come through English football, Bobby Charlton would be in there.”
It was announced on Saturday afternoon that Charlton had died peacefully in the early hours of the morning surrounded by his family.
Born in Ashington on Oct. 11, 1937, Charlton played in the World Cup final alongside his brother Jack – who died aged 85 in 2020 – and won 106 caps for England, scoring 49 goals.
European Cup success with United came 10 years after the Munich air disaster, which Charlton and manager Sir Matt Busby survived, but which claimed the lives of eight of his team-mates.
Former team-mate Denis Law said on manutd.com: “Another sad day. What can I say? Sir Bobby was an unbelievable player and a gentleman. Manchester United meant everything to him.
“We had many special and successful years together and he was a joy to play with. He knew where every player was on the pitch and for me, that was a dream. I knew, if Bobby had the ball, it would find me and it did.
“What a striker of the ball he was. He could hit the ball so hard that I knew most keepers didn’t stand a chance. On the rare occasion they did manage to deflect it, it would drop nicely to me to finish it off.
“Along with George (Best), our partnership was sealed. The great part of playing with Bobby and George was that if one of us was having a bad day, the other two knew and that’s what made our relationship special.
“I am saddened by the news, like all football fans today.”
Charlton was diagnosed with dementia and his condition was made public in November 2020, two days after his United and England team-mate Nobby Stiles died following his battle with the illness.
Tributes were left at Old Trafford this weekend, one which read: “Thank you, Sir Bobby, a hero to the worldwide football family.”
A message from a fan group, 1958, said: “History, dignity and integrity are what you gave to our great club. Our promise to you is to make sure it stays.”
The 5-0 victory over Everton on Sunday was dedicated to Charlton by Marc Skinner, the manager of Manchester United Women.
“He changed football in my opinion, especially at my club, so that was for him and his family,” Skinner said.
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