Manchester United And England 1966 World Cup Winner Sir Bobby Charlton Dead Aged 86

THE legendary Manchester United and England footballer Sir Bobby Charlton has passed away at the age of 86.

A statement released by his family read: ‘It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning’.

‘He was surrounded by his family. His family would like to pass on their thanks to everyone who has contributed to his care and for the many people who have loved and supported him. We would request that the family’s privacy be respected at this time’, it concluded.

The 1966 World Cup winner had been suffering from dementia and died just one week after his 86th birthday. His older brother Jackie had also suffered with the same disease before his passing in July 2020 at the age of 85.

Manchester United changed the colour of their official ‘X’ account to black in honour of the Old Trafford icon, posting simply: ‘Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, 1937-2023. Words will never be enough’.

Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, 1937-2023.

Words will never be enough.

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 21, 2023

A full statement published on the club’s website read: ‘Manchester United are in mourning following the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club’.

Sir Bobby survived the Munich air disaster in 1958

Born in the mining village of Ashington, Northumberland, Sir Bobby was undoubtedly one of the all-time greats of English football. He was one of the survivors of the tragic Munich air disaster in 1958 which claimed the lives of eight of his Manchester United teammates.

He was an integral part of the England team that lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley in 1966. Later that same year, the midfield genius also won the Ballon d’Or.

In 1968, he played an important role in leading the Red Devils to their very first European Cup win as they beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time. His header in the second half gave United the lead and he added a second goal in the 99th minute.

Renowned for his thunderbolt shots from long distance, Sir Bobby bagged a total of 249 goals in 758 Manchester United appearances. In 106 matches for his country, Sir Bobby notched another 49 goals.

With the passing of another hero, Sir Geoff Hurst is now the only remaining member of the 1966 Three Lions team that won the World Cup.