Their encounter was crucial for the course of football history. Bobby Charlton met the young Franz Beckenbauer at Wembley Stadium. And was confused. “I had waited all my life to play in a World Cup final,” the English football icon once said.
And then he of all people, the goalscorer, should man-mark the previously outstanding German. “But when the kick-off sounded, Franz Beckenbauer came straight to me – he had received the same instructions,” said Charlton.
The two, who would be described as superstars today, largely neutralized each other in the 1966 final, which was bitter for Germany, and Beckenbauer later said: “England could only win against us in 1966 because Bobby Charlton was a little bit better than me.” Died last Saturday morning Charlton surrounded by his family at the age of 86. He was an ambassador for England, an ambassador for football.
Fans lay flowers in remembrance outside Old Trafford stadium in Manchester
Source: AFP/JON SUPER
“I have to say: Next to Pelé, Bobby Charlton was the greatest footballer we have had in the world,” said former national coach Berti Vogts. He met the Manchester United professional, revered as a national hero in England, in the 1970 World Cup quarter-finals, which Germany won 3-2 after extra time. “I have never met such a fine person as him.”
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At United’s Old Trafford stadium, where a Charlton statue stands, fans laid flowers and wreaths over the weekend. At United’s league game on Saturday evening, players, club bosses and spectators remembered the icon with a minute’s silence. “We will never forget him, no one in football will,” said his former teammate Geoff Hurst, who scored three of England’s four goals in the 1966 World Cup final, including the legendary Wembley goal in extra time, which – depending on your interpretation – but there was none. Charlton “was a great colleague and friend.” Hurst is now the last surviving player from the 1966 finals team.
Beckham’s father adored Charlton
In England, Charlton, who was knighted in 1994, shaped a generation – and their sons. “It all started with Sir Bobby,” wrote former United star David Beckham on Instagram, along with a childhood photo of himself with Charlton. Beckham’s father was an ardent admirer of the Manchester player, which is why his son has “Robert” as his middle name. Former United captain Rio Ferdinand wrote that Charlton was an icon and a legend, and Gary Neville described him as “the greatest English football player and the best ambassador for Manchester United”.
Charlton played a total of 758 competitive games for United from 1956 to 1973 and scored 249 goals. The offensive professional was a key player in the “Busby Babes”, coach Matt Busby’s legendary United team, which, among other things, won the European Cup in 1968. Charlton repeatedly described it as luck that it could happen like this – also because of 1958.
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He was one of the 21 survivors in the United team’s plane crash at Munich-Riem Airport, in which 23 people died. “I was just lucky that I was in the right seat,” he said later. “It was just a nightmare.”
The Munich club president Herbert Hainer said at the weekend: “FC Bayern will forever remember the memory of this unique footballer and person.” Sir Bobby was “a gift for everyone who loves the beauty of football.”
“World of football united in grief”
Even decades after his career ended, Charlton was the record goalscorer for the English team, which has been waiting for a title since 1966, with 49 goals. So far, only Wayne Rooney (53) and Harry Kane (61) have overtaken him. “He is a legend,” said Bayern professional Kane, his national coach Gareth Southgate said: “The world of football is united in its grief.”
The privilege of “meeting him on several occasions showed me the personal pride and emotion he felt in representing England,” Southgate said. “And for me it simply confirmed his reputation as an absolute gentleman of football.” Before England’s international match against Malta on November 17th, the association wants to commemorate the idol at Wembley Stadium.
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“He was a great person and a true gentleman who FC Bayern valued very much,” said Munich’s long-time CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The German record player Lothar Matthäus said that Charlton was “like Uwe Seeler for Germany, a role model for all football fans in England”. “He was a role model not only on the field, but also off it.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was saddened by Charlton’s death. “He has a place in history as one of the sport’s greatest players and was hugely popular,” Sunak wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, praised Charlton as a “football legend whose influence on the game has spanned generations.”
A young Sheffield United fan remembers the deceased during the game against Manchester United
Source: AFP/DARREN STAPLES
Former international player and TV presenter Gary Lineker said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “For me he was England’s greatest player of all time. I was lucky enough to see him play when I was a little boy. He was one of my heroes, a hero to many. He was unique. No matter where you travel in the world, even if people don’t speak the language, they know two words – Bobby Charlton.”
