Bobby Charlton remembered in emotional tributes as Man Utd legend honoured

24 October 2023 , 19:19

1154     0

Erik ten Hag (centre) carried the wreath onto the pitch, alongside Dan Gore (left) and Alex Stepney (right) (Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag laid a wreath on the Old Trafford pitch ahead of his side's clash against Copenhagen in honour of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 86.

Ten Hag brought the wreath onto the pitch, after both sets of players had already made their way to the centre circle ahead of kick-off to form part of a minute's silence. Led out by bagpipes playing, Ten Hag was flanked by United's youth-team captain Dan Gore and former United goalkeeper Alex Stepney, who won the European Cup alongside Charlton.

Sir Bobby formed part of Matt Busby's successful United side of the 1960s, helping the club win three first division titles as well as the European Cup in 1968. He was one of the few players to survive the horrific Munich air disaster in 1958 which claimed the lives of 23 people.

Former forward Charlton was a crucial cog in England's World Cup-winning side of 1966, for whom he started while playing alongside brother Jack. His efforts that year won him the Ballon d'Or award for the world's greatest player, before finishing second in the same competition in 1967 and 1968.

The Old Trafford scoreboard, in memory of Sir Bobby Charlton (Getty Images)

Charlton was one of only nine players in football history to have won the World Cup, European Cup (now Champions League ) and the Ballon d'Or, with former Three Lions boss Sir Alf Ramsay noting he was the “lynchpin of our team”.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

United have opened up a book of condolences for fans to pay their respects, with Gary Neville among the former players to do so. A wreath has been placed on Charlton’s seat in the directors’ box by the club’s chief executive Richard Arnold while players and club staff will don black armbands for arguably United’s most iconic ever player, with a minute’s silence to be held ahead of the Champions League clash against Copenhagen.

A banner in honour of Charlton and his place of birth (Getty Images)

Speaking ahead of the game on TNT Sport, former United defender Rio Ferdinand said of Charlton: “He was just a fantastic human being. He was a fantastic football player, we were always around the club and the way he carried himself just as a human being will always be the standout thing for me. Everything good about this football club ran through his veins, we always used to say, ‘How is he still here?’ That’s how much he loved the club.

A wreath was laid in Charlton's team in the director's box (ManUtd.com)

“He was a wonderful, wonderful man and it was an incredibly sad day when we heard the news. But if you take a look at the tributes he’s received across the world, when you think about Manchester United, the first player you think of is Sir Bobby Charlton. When you think about what he achieved, obviously with the Munich Air Disaster and everything that happened, how he managed to come back and go on to win the European Cup, the World Cup. It’s just a really sad evening tonight.”

United's players paid their respect to Charlton ahead of the clash vs Copenhagen (Getty Images)

Ferdinand’s fellow pundit Paul Scholes added on TNT Sports when asked of Charlton training with the squad, when he was aged 61: “It’s incredible really, this was just before we played Barcelona, we were playing at the Nou Camp. And he just wanted to get involved! You didn’t really realise how lucky you were to be brought up around someone like that.

United's programme paid tribute to Sir Bobby (James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

“When you’re brought up in this football club, you’re surrounded by class. Whether you win or lose, he was always there in the dressing room - he’d commiserate you if you were beaten, put his arm around you, and he’d celebrate with you if you’d won. He just embodied this football club and was someone we were really lucky to have around.”

United boss Erik ten Hag said of Charlton: “He is in front of Old Trafford [as part of a statue]. With Denis Law and George Best. He is always with us. They are always a huge inspiration for us, every day, and in every game.

“First we want to win as a tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton, but also you want always to do that in a certain way and that is what we are aiming for. It is not always possible in football, sometimes you don’t play that well but you have to find a way to win. I was happy on Saturday that we could show tribute with a win [against Sheffield United] but also with the way we scored that second goal.

Fans cued up to pay their respects to Charlton from the afternoon (Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Manchester City travel to Old Trafford next weekend for the first Manchester derby of the campaign and their boss Pep Guardiola said following Charlton’s death on Saturday that the club will play their part in further tributes to a true football legend: "Next week when we go there, to Old Trafford, the first time, we will be present to make a tribute."

There will also be a minute's applause for Charlton ahead of that Premier League clash on Sunday, with United’s matchday programme for both games in tribute to their legend. City boss Guardiola added: "I love this country for many things, but one of the things is how they take care of legends. They are part of the club, they travel and represent."

Colin Millar