 Charlton in 1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Charlton | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 October 1937 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ashington, Northumberland, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 October 2023 (aged 86) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Macclesfield, Cheshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Northumberland Schools | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1956 | Manchester United | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1973 | Manchester United | 606 | (199) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1975 | Preston North End | 38 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Waterford | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 | Newcastle KB United | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | Perth Azzurri | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | Blacktown City | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 652 | (211) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953 | England Schoolboys | 4 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954 | England Youth | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1960 | England U23 | 6 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1970 | England | 106 | (49) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1975 | Preston North End | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Wigan Athletic (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Robert Charlton CBE (11 October 1937 – 21 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking-midfielder, left-winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time,[2][3] he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 1967 and 1968. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts, passing abilities from midfield, ferocious long-range shooting from both left and right foot, fitness, and stamina. He was cautioned only twice in his career; once against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup, and once in a league match against Chelsea. With success at club and international level, he was one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup–winning team, was a former defender for Leeds United and also for ten years was the manager of the Republic of Ireland.
Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton made his debut for the Manchester United first-team in 1956, aged 18, and soon gained a regular place in the team, during which time he became a Football League First Division champion in 1957 then survived the Munich air disaster of February 1958 after being rescued by teammate Harry Gregg; Charlton was the last survivor of the plane crash from the club. After helping United to win the FA Cup in 1963 and the Football League in 1965 and 1967, he captained the team that won the European Cup in 1968, scoring two goals in the final to help them become the first English club to win the competition. Charlton left Manchester United to become manager of Preston North End for the 1973–74 season.[4] He changed to player-manager the following season. He next accepted a post as a director with Wigan Athletic, then became a member of Manchester United's board of directors in 1984.[5]
At international level, Charlton was named in the England squad for four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970), though he did not play in the first. At the time of his retirement from the England team in 1970, he was the nation's most capped player, having turned out 106 times at the highest level; Bobby Moore overtook this in 1973. Charlton was the long-time record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England, and United's long-time record appearance maker – his total of 758 matches for United took until 2008 to be beaten, when Ryan Giggs did so in that year's Champions League final.[6] With 249 goals, he was the club's highest all-time goalscorer for more than 40 years, until his record was surpassed by Wayne Rooney in 2017. He is also the third-highest goalscorer for England;[7] his record of 49 goals was beaten in 2015 by Rooney, and again by Harry Kane in 2022.[8]
- ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Bobby Charlton (Player)". national-football-teams.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "The 50 greatest footballers of all time". 90min. 13 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Simon (8 October 2017). "What made Bobby Charlton the best footballer ever?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Bobby Charlton". britannica.com/eb. Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2006.
- ^ "Bobby Charlton". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2006.
- ^ "Giggs nears Reds all-time record". BBC Sport. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ Lewis, Rhett (13 January 2022). "Best English Football Team: We Ask Sir Bobby Charlton". History Of Soccer. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ "Internationals - Harry Kane hits his 50th goal for England to secure draw in Germany". Tottenham Hotspur FC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.