Glory Glory United

Full name: Sir Robert Charlton, CBE
Date of birth: 11 October 1937 (1937-10-11) (age 70)
Place of birth: Ashington, England
Playing position: Midfielder, Striker (retired)

International:
* World Cup: 1966
* European Championship Third Place 1968
* British Championship Winner 1958 (shared), 1959 (shared), 1960 (shared), 1961, 1964 (shared), 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970 (shared)

Club:
* The Football League Champion 1957, 1965, 1967
* FA Cup Winner 1963
* European Cup Winner 1968
* FA Community Shield 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967

Individual:
European Player of the Year: winner: 1966; 2nd: 1967, 1968
1966 World Cup: winner
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year winner: 1966

Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton, CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won the World Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot.

He began to play for United's first team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958. After helping United to win the Football League in 1965, he won a World Cup medal with England in 1966 and another Football League title with United the following year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup, scoring two goals in the final to help his team be the first English side to win the competition. He has scored more goals for England and United than any other player. He had made more appearances for Manchester United than any other player (758 [1]), a record superseded by Ryan Giggs at the Champions League Final in Moscow on 21 May 2008, and who is still an active player. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest English players of all time.

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. This record has since been eclipsed by Bobby Moore and then Peter Shilton.

He left Manchester United in 1973, becoming player-manager of Preston North End,but decided management was not for him and left after one season. After assuming the post of the director at Wigan Athletic F.C. for some time, he became a member of Manchester United's board of directors in 1984 and remains one as of February 2008. He set goalscoring records for both the England team and Manchester United, with both records remaining intact some 35 years after the end of his playing career. He was knighted in 1994.

Early Life:
Charlton was related to several professional footballers on his mother's side of the family: his uncles were Jack Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford City), George Milburn (Leeds United and Chesterfield), Jim Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford City) and Stan Milburn (Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale), and legendary Newcastle United and England footballer Jackie Milburn was his mother's cousin. However, Charlton credits much of the early development of his career to his grandfather Tanner and his mother Cissie. His elder brother, Jack, initially went to work applying to the Police Service before also becoming a professional footballer with Leeds United.

On 9 February 1953, Bedlington Grammar School pupil Charlton was spotted playing for East Northumberland schools by Manchester United chief scout Joe Armstrong. Charlton went on to play for England schoolboys, and despite offers that followed from several other clubs, the 15-year-old signed with United on 1 January 1953, along with Wilf McGuinness, also aged 15.Initially his mother was reluctant to let him commit to an insecure football career, so he began an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer; however he went on to turn professional in October 1954.

Charlton became one of the famed Busby Babes, the collection of precociously talented footballers who emerged through the system at Old Trafford in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as Matt Busby set about a long-term plan of rebuilding the club after the Second World War. He worked his way through the pecking order of teams, scoring regularly for the youth and reserve sides before he was handed his first team debut against Charlton Athletic in October 1956. At the same time, he was doing his National Service in Shrewsbury, where Busby had advised him to apply as it meant he could still play for United at the weekend. Also doing his army service in Shrewsbury at the same time was his United team-mate Duncan Edwards.

Joining The First Team:

Charlton played 14 times for United in that first season. They won the League championship but were denied the 20th century's first "double" when they controversially lost the 1957 FA Cup final to Aston Villa. Charlton, still only 19, was selected for the game which saw United goalkeeper Ray Wood carried off with a broken cheekbone after a clash with Villa centre forward Peter McParland. Though Charlton was a candidate to go in goal to replace Wood (in the days before substitutes, and certainly before goalkeeping substitutes), it was team-mate Jackie Blanchflower who ended up between the posts.

Charlton was an established player by the time the next season was fully underway, which saw United, as current League champions, become the first English team to fully embrace the European Cup, reaching the semi finals where they lost to Real Madrid. Previously, the Football Association had scorned the competition but United's progress in the competition earned a great deal of continental respect.[citation needed] Their reputation was further enhanced the next season as they reached the quarter finals to play Red Star Belgrade. In the first leg at home, United won 2-1. The return in Yugoslavia saw Charlton score twice as United stormed 3-0 ahead although the hosts came back to earn a 3-3 draw. However, United maintained their aggregate lead to reach the last four and were in jubilant mood as they left to catch their flight home, thinking of an important League game against Wolves at the weekend.

Munich Experience:

You can find more of his story in the Munich Disaster section of this site.

Idol for United And For England:

At the same time, Charlton's emergence as the country's leading young football talent was completed when he was called up to join the England squad for a British Home Championship game against Scotland at Hampden Park. It would be the start of a long, prolific, record-breaking and globally respected career for his country.

Charlton was handed his debut as England romped home 4-0, with the new player gaining even more admirers after scoring a magnificent thumping volley dispatched with authority after a cross by the left winger Tom Finney. He scored both goals in his second game as England beat Portugal 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley; and overcame obvious nerves on a return to Belgrade to play his third match against Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, England lost that game 5-0 and Charlton played poorly. He was selected for the squad which competed at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but didn't kick a ball, something at which critics expressed surprise and bewilderment,even allowing for his lacklustre performance in Belgrade.

Charlton began to settle back into his footballing life with Manchester United and England and enhanced his reputation as a scorer of great goals as well as a great goalscorer - rarely is a player regarded as both. In 1959 he scored a hat-trick as England demolished the USA 8-1; and his second England hat-trick came in 1961 in an 8-0 thrashing of Mexico. He also managed to score in every British Home Championship tournament he played in except 1963 in an association with the tournament which lasted from 1958 to 1970 and included 16 goals and ten tournament victories (five shared).

He played in qualifiers for the 1962 World Cup in Chile against Luxembourg and Portugal and was named in the squad for the finals themselves. His goal in the 3-1 group win over Argentina was his 25th for England in just 38 appearances, but his individual success could not be replicated by that of the team, which was eliminated in the quarter final by Brazil, who went on to win the tournament.

Further success with Manchester United came at last when they beat Leicester City 3-1 in the FA Cup final of 1963, with Charlton finally earning a winners' medal in his third final. Busby's post-Munich rebuilding programme continued to progress with two League championships within three seasons, with United taking the title in 1965 and 1967. In between, there was the pressing matter for Charlton of the 1966 World Cup for which England, as hosts, had not needed to qualify. A successful (though trophyless) season with Manchester United had seen him take the honours of Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and European Footballer Of The Year into the competition.

By now, England were coached by Alf Ramsey who had managed to gain sole control of the recruitment and team selection procedure from the committee-based call-up system which had lasted up to the previous World Cup. Ramsey had already cleared out some of the older players who had been reliant on the loyalty of the committee for their continued selection - it was well known that decorum on the pitch at club level had been just as big a factor in playing for England as ability and form.Luckily for Charlton, he had all three.

Charlton had remained the attacking midfield player around whom Ramsey had intended to build his team. He was still scoring and creating freely and as the tournament was about to start, he was expected to become one of its stars and galvanise his established reputation as one of the world's best footballers.

The Success Of 1966:

Picking up the ball in the centre circle of the Wembley pitch, Charlton issued a Mexican challenger with a body swerve which sent his opponent the wrong way and opened up a sizeable gap ahead of him. His reputation for long-range finishes now the stuff of legend, everyone braced themselves for a shot - and Charlton memorably obliged.(weasel words) It arrowed straight into the top corner of the Mexico net, finally opening England's goal account in the tournament and setting them up for a 2-0 win. This was followed by an identical scoreline against France and England were in the last eight.

There they overcame a thuggish Argentina side with a slender 1-0 win - the game was the only one in which Charlton received a caution - and Portugal awaited in the semi finals. This turned out to be one of Charlton's most important games, for both himself and those for whom he played.

Charlton opened the scoring with a crisp side-footed finish after a run by Roger Hunt had forced the Portuguese goalkeeper out of his net; the second was a sweetly struck shot after a run and pull-back from Geoff Hurst. Charlton and Hunt were now England's equal-highest scorers in the tournament with three each, and a final against West Germany was to come.

Though the game had drama, great team performances and some breathtaking individual displays, it actually turned out to be one of Charlton's quieter days. He had a young Franz Beckenbauer marking him and vice versa, and the two ultimately seemed to cancel each other out. However, the team did what was required and won 4-2 (although controversy still exists as to whether the 3rd goal ever crossed the line), with Hurst's hat-trick entering football folklore (and overtaking Charlton and Hunt as England's top marksman). Charlton was playing alongside his brother Jack and the two openly embraced and wept as the greatness of their achievement sank in.

World Cup 1970 And Retirement From Playing Football:

England began the tournament with two victories in the group stages, plus a memorable defeat against Brazil. Charlton played in all three, though was substituted for Alan Ball in the final game of the group against Czechoslovakia. Ramsey, confident of victory and progress to the quarter final, wanted Charlton to rest.

England duly reached the last eight where they again faced West Germany. Charlton controlled the midfield and suppressed Beckenbauer's runs from deep as England coasted to a 2-0 lead. Beckenbauer pulled a goal back for the Germans and Ramsey replaced the ageing and tired Charlton with Colin Bell who further tested the German keeper Maier and also provided a great cross for Geoff Hurst who uncharacteristically squandered the chance. West Germany, who had a habit of coming back from behind, eventually scored twice - a back header from Uwe Seeler made it 2-2 after which Gerd Müller's goal finished England off. England were out and, after a record 106 caps and 49 goals, Charlton decided to end his international career at the age of 32. On the flight home from Mexico, he asked Ramsey not to consider him again. His brother Jack, two years his senior but 71 caps his junior, did likewise.

Despite populist opinion the substitution did not change the game as Beckenbauer had scored before Charlton left the field, hence Charlton had failed to cancel out the German. Charlton himself conceded that the substitution did not affect the game in a BBC documentary. His caps record lasted until 1973 when Bobby Moore overtook him, and Charlton currently lies third in the all-time England appearances list behind Moore and Peter Shilton, whose own England career began in the first game after Charlton's had ended. The goals record still stands, however it is possible Michael Owen, on 40 goals as of June 2008, may surpass it and Gary Lineker's total of 48 in the near future.

During the early 1970s, Manchester United were no longer competing among the top teams in England, and at several stages were battling against relegation. At times, Charlton was not on speaking terms with United's other superstars George Best and Denis Law, and Best refused to play in Charlton's testimonial match against Celtic, saying that "to do so would be hypocritical".Charlton left Manchester United at the end of the 1972-73 season, having scored 249 goals and set a club record of 758 appearances, a record which Ryan Giggs broke in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. His goalscoring record, however, is still intact by a comfortable margin.

His last game was against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and before the game the BBC cameras for Match Of The Day captured the Chelsea chairman handing Charlton a commemorative cigarette case.

Life After Football:

Charlton became the player-manager of Preston North End in 1973, taking United and England team-mate Nobby Stiles with him as player-coach, but his first season was not a success and he left at the end of it. However, he was awarded the CBE that year and began a casual association with the BBC for punditry on matches which continued for many years. In 1975 he scored 18 goals in 31 appearances for Waterford United.

He then joined Wigan Athletic as a director, and was briefly caretaker manager there. He then spent some time playing in South Africa.He also built up several businesses in areas such as travel, jewellery and hampers, and ran soccer schools in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and China. In 1984, he was invited to become member of the board of directors at Manchester United, partly because of his football knowledge and partly because it was felt that the club needed a "name" on the board after the resignation of Sir Matt Busby.He remains a director of Manchester United as of 2008. Charlton led the Manchester United side in receiving the European Cup in 2008, 50 years on from the Munich air disaster.

Charlton helped to promote Manchester's bids for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, England's bid for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.He received a knighthood in 1994 and was an Inaugural Inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. On accepting his award he commented “I’m really proud to be included in the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame. It’s a great honour. If you look at the names included I have to say I couldn’t argue with them. They are all great players and people I would love to have played with." He is also the (honorary) president of the National Football Museum, an organisation about which he said “I can’t think of a better Museum anywhere in the world.”.

Charlton is involved in a number of charitable activities including fund raising for cancer hospitals, and the land mine clearance charity Mines Advisory Group.