Bobby Charlton's brother recalls tears during heartbreaking last phone call

03 November 2023 , 21:57

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Tommy Charlton (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

The brother of Sir Bobby and Jack Charlton told how he has been ­overwhelmed by the tributes paid to his famous older siblings.

Tommy Charlton spoke after Sir Bobby’s death last month at the age of 86. He also said the last time he spoke to him on the phone they both wept. And the 77-year-old revealed he never got to see his brothers win the World Cup at Wembley in 1966 because he could not afford the trip to London.

Jack died in 2020 aged 85. Tommy said: “It’s been very heart-warming to have so many people telling me that they were really proud of Bob. And it’s heart-warming to see the thousands of people telling me they respected Bob and Jack. “I’ve never thought of them as anything but my brothers. They died as my brothers, not as famous footballers.”

Bobby Charlton with brother Jack (Mirrorpix)

The trio grew up in Ashington, Northumberland, and Tommy told how he hated it when Bobby and Jack left home to play professional football. He added: “I didn’t know what was happening. When Bob left, it was like, ‘Where’s he going?’” Tommy said Bobby got him a ticket to the 1966 World Cup Final but added: “I didn’t have any money to get there. Nobody in the family had that sort of money.

“I watched the match on the TV. It was with my girlfriend at the time. But I regret it now. I should have got a bank loan to get there.” Speaking of his last chat with Sir Bobby shortly before he died after a fall at his Cheshire care home, Tommy said: “He broke down and started crying while I was crying.

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"His wife, Norma, said after that it’s ­probably best not to put Bob on the phone so she kept us updated on how he was. She was a saint.” A memorial service will take place for Sir Bobby at Manchester Cathedral on November 13.

Stephen White