England and Manchester United great Charlton dies at 86
Sir Bobby Charlton, the Manchester United legend who was a key figure in England’s 1966 World Cup victory, has died at the age of 86.
Charlton won 106 caps for England and scored 49 international goals – records for his country at the time.
During a 17-year first-team career with United he won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup.
Charlton’s family said he “passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning”.
Charlton spent 17 years at Old Trafford and, aged 20, was part of the “Busby Babes” team decimated by the 1958 Munich air crash in which 23 people died, including eight United players.
He scored twice for England in the World Cup semi-final win over Portugal in 1966 and was instrumental in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final where Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick.
Hurst, now the only surviving member of Alf Ramsey’s World Cup-winning side, led the tributes to his former team mate.
“Very sad news today. One of the true Greats Sir Bobby Charlton has passed away,” Hurst wrote on X.
“We will never forget him and nor will all of football. A great colleague and friend, he will be sorely missed by all of the country beyond sport alone.”
Charlton helped United win the European Cup in 1968 and three English league titles as well as the FA Cup.
“Today is not just a sad day for Manchester United & England, it’s a sad day for football and everything that Sir Bobby represented,” said former United and England midfielder David Beckham.
