13 November 2023 , 09:30
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Thousands will pay their respects to Sir Bobby Charlton today at the funeral of the Manchester United and England icon.
The life of Sir Bobby, who died last month aged 86, will be celebrated at a ceremony at Manchester Cathedral, which will be attended by 1,000 guests. Fans will be able to pay their respects at Old Trafford, where the funeral cortège will arrive at 1.30pm, proceeding slowly across the stadium forecourt, in front of the Trinity Statue, before continuing to the cathedral.
At Old Trafford, the cortège will pass through a guard of honour made up of representatives of United’s Under-18 and Under-21 Academy teams. The cortège will then proceed to Manchester Cathedral. After the ceremony, there will be a private wake at Old Trafford after the ceremony.
Manchester Cathedral has planned for up to 1,000 guests, including the Charlton family, friends of Sir Bobby, and leading figures from across the football and sporting communities. United will be represented by Sir Alex Ferguson and club legends from across the generations, including several of Sir Bobby's team-mates from the club’s 1968 European Cup-winning team.
Several members of the current United first team squad will attend. Eulogies and tributes will be read by David Gill, former Manchester United chief executive, and John Shiels, former Manchester United Foundation chief of the Manchester United Foundation.
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Sir Bobby played for United between 1956 and 1973, making 758 appearances and scoring 249 goals. He won League titles, the FA Cup and European Cup.
The funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton takes place on Monday (Manchester United via Getty Images)Sir Bobby earned 106 England caps, scoring 49 goals. He was a member of Sir Alf Ramsey's 1966 World Cup -winning side, the same year he won the Ballon d'Or.