BRYAN ROBSON: Every kid wanted to be Sir Bobby Charlton… he was the role model for every young footballer. He will be remembered as the perfect gentlemen, the perfect player
- Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton died at the age of 86
- He was a terrific footballer, a fierce competitor and had a thunderbolt of a shot
- You knew, growing up and wanting to turn pro, Charlton was the man to follow
Growing up as a boy in the North-East of England, Sir Bobby Charlton was everything I wanted to be. He was the perfect role model for every young footballer.
He was from Ashington, 30 miles up the road from where I was born in Chester-le-Street. A terrific footballer, a fierce competitor and with a thunderbolt of a shot, he led Manchester United by example and when he won the World Cup with England, well, every kid in my neighbourhood wanted to be him.
I loved George Best, his charisma, maverick nature and flamboyance, but Sir Bobby’s principles made him stand out for other reasons.
He was impeccable. He was never sent off and often it would seem he never even got his shirt dirty. It was easy to see how he became such a great ambassador for United and England.
When I signed for Manchester United from West Brom, he made sure he sought me out, shook me by the hand and simply said: ‘Welcome to United, I’m looking forward to watching you play… and make sure you enjoy it.’
Sir Bobby Charlton was a terrific footballer and every young child aspired to be like him
Bryan Robson has reflected on Charlton’s impact on the game and his friendship with the great
Over the years, I saw him do the same to every other United signing. For all he achieved he was incredibly humble. He’d never say, ‘You’ve got to win the European Cup or win the league title, to be a success like me’.
Yet for all his kind, considerate side, he was a tough, angry man on the football pitch. That’s why he was held in such regard by peers like Pele and Eusebio. He brought aggression and a determination to win that made him a tough opponent. Sir Alf Ramsey hailed him as one of the greatest players he’d ever seen but also praised how hard he worked for the team.
While he was immensely talented, what happened in Munich in 1958 made him all the more determined to succeed, not so much for himself but for those beloved friends and team-mates he lost.
The legacy of the Busby Babes and how they played has long been the template for how United teams should play and he, above everyone, carried that forward.
When I became an ambassador for United, I got to know him better. I would often join him for the annual memorial in Munich. I know he often said he felt guilt for being one of those who survived but he never wanted to talk about it. Then one day I plucked up the courage to say: ‘Tell me what happened’.
Charlton, above anyone, has carried on the legacy of the Busby Babes and how they played
For years to come he will stand justifiably as a giant of club and country, the perfect gentleman
He walked with me to where the plane ended up. It was incredibly emotional for him and for me to listen to him. I’ve never told the details of that conversation and never will.
He showed immense character to not only return to playing just a month after the crash but to forge the career he had. It was clear how much that tragedy drove him.
Sir Matt Busby, with whom he shared an indelible bond as a consequence of ’58, said he was as ‘near perfection as man and player as it is possible to be’.
Wherever you travel in the world Charlton’s name is synonymous with England and our football. At United, there is a stand named after him and a statue.
For years to come he will stand as a giant of club and country; always remembered as the perfect gentleman, the perfect footballer.
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- Sir Bobby Charlton said a day did not go by when his mind didn’t return to the Munich Air DIsaster in 1958
- PATRICK COLLINS: Bobby Charlton was a typically England hero
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