Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Geoffrey Bent | ||
Date of birth | 27 September 1932 | ||
Place of birth | Salford, Lancashire, England | ||
Date of death | 6 February 1958 | (aged 25)||
Place of death | Munich, West Germany | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Position(s) | Left back[1] | ||
Youth career | |||
1948–1951 | Manchester United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1951–1958 | Manchester United | 12 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Geoffrey Bent (27 September 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer who played as a left back for Manchester United from 1948 until 1958. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s. Bent only made twelve first-team appearances for Manchester United, who already had an international-quality left back in Roger Byrne. Modern writers speculate that at most other teams Bent would have been a regular starter, and he was the subject of interest from fellow First Division clubs, but Busby refused to let him leave. He was one of eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster, when their aircraft crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport after a European Cup match in Belgrade.