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<\/p>\nSIR BOBBY CHARLTON was an inspiration to his Manchester United and England team-mates and to everyone else who knew him as a man of unimpeachable integrity.<\/p>\n
Charlton received his knighthood in 1994. <\/p>\n
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Because of his brilliance as a player, his high principles and humility on and off the field, he was treated with the kind of esteem worldwide usually reserved for Royalty.<\/p>\n
Roy of the Rovers was every schoolboys\u2019 comic hero from the moment he made his unforgettable Manchester United debut in 1954.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s pertinent that 17-year-old Charlton, the Geordie boy from the mining village of Ashington, and the real-life version of Roy of the Rovers, signed professional forms for United the very same year.<\/p>\n
He pulled United\u2019s famous red jersey over his head on 758 occasions and the one with a Three Lions badge 106 times.<\/p>\n
And to emphasise the manner in which he conducted himself as a proud servant of his club and country, Charlton was cautioned just twice.<\/p>\n The first was against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final at Wembley. <\/p>\n The second against Chelsea \u2014 probably after being on the receiving end of one of Ron \u2018Chopper\u2019 Harris\u2019 leather-studded calling cards.<\/p>\n Charlton scored no less than 249 goals for United and 49 for England winning the World Cup, European Cup, First Division championship and FA Cup.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n And he also received the Ballon d\u2019Or in 1966 \u2014 awarded to the best player in Europe at that time.<\/p>\n He retired in 1973 which means only the fans who are well over 50 had the good fortune to see the midfield maestro in the flesh.<\/p>\n When Charlton was in his prime, football was\u00a0completely different to what it is now. <\/p>\n It\u2019s like comparing a horse and buggy to a Rolls-Royce.<\/p>\n It seems ludicrous today but back in the 1950s and 60s there was only one game allowed to be seen on TV \u2014 the FA Cup final. Match of the Day didn\u2019t even start until 1964.<\/p>\n When I was a teenager the only way I could see the Gods of the English game, superstars of their era like Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Tom Finney, Wilf Mannion, John Charles, Bert Williams, Len Shackleton, Nat Lofthouse and Johnny Haynes was to go through the turnstiles.<\/p>\n Watching the great players on TV is rewarding but there is no real substitute for the thrill of soaking up the atmosphere of a live performance.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why I feel a pang of sorrow for the millions who never had the opportunity to see Charlton racing at defences with the speed and grace of a gazelle \u2014 not easy with a ball glued to your feet.<\/p>\n And it was a never-to-be-forgotten sight whenever he finished the run with a rocket shot that flew past the goalkeeper and into the net.<\/p>\n Charlton was the United and England engine room. Everything flowed through him.<\/p>\n He controlled the action because of his intelligent reading of the game and the pin-point accuracy of his passing. He split defences with the ease some football writers split infinitives.<\/p>\n As a West Ham fan I\u2019ve had my own heroes to drool over \u2014 Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking being just three.<\/p>\n When it comes to Charlton, tribalism doesn\u2019t exist. I have no doubt he was the greatest all-round footballer this country has ever seen. <\/p>\n And it\u2019s possible a few Liverpool Kopites might even agree with me.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a shadow of a doubt he ranks among the giant talents that\u00a0majestically plied their trade on foreign fields \u2014 Pele, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Johan Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n And if anyone needs confirmation about Bobby\u2019s bravery and strength of character the mental fortitude he showed \u00a0after the Munich air crash in 1958 is hard to believe.<\/p>\n Pulled unconscious from the carnage by keeper Harry Gregg he spent a week in hospital before going home to Ashington to recuperate.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t imagine the anguish he must have gone through having seen eight of his Busby Babes mates killed. He was only 20.<\/p>\n Yet just 15 days after leaving Munich he played for United in a sixth-round FA Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion.<\/p>\n The modern multi-millionaire stars would probably need counselling for a month before they recovered sufficiently to play again.\u00a0<\/p>\n I was lucky enough to have seen most of the 12 goals Charlton scored against the Hammers and quite a few of the 22 he hit for England at Wembley.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s one that stands out. It was as important as it was beautiful.<\/p>\n England were awful in the\u00a0goalless draw against Uruguay in the opening game of the 1966 World Cup.<\/p>\n They badly needed a win against Mexico. <\/p>\n Picking the ball up in his own half, Charlton went on one of those thrilling runs he was famous for, streaking straight at the heart of the Mexican defence.<\/p>\n With the defenders backing off him, Charlton unleashed a 30-yard right-foot shot that screamed into the net.<\/p>\n Charlton was admired and respected all over this planet.<\/p>\n He was modest and humble to a fault. Wherever he travelled he was recognised and often seemed embarrassed at the adulation he received.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/man-utd-transfer-news-live-garnacho-jude-bellingham.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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