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Bobby Charlton | |
| BOBBY
CHARLTON Birthplace: Ashington, Northumberland, 11/10/1937 Height: 175cm - 5ft 9in Weight: 69.4kg - 10st 13lb Full International: England (106 caps, 49 goals) Position: Forward Debut: 06.10.1956 Appearances (1956-1973): 766 - 2 as sub Goals: 253 |
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| Bobby Charlton was born in
Ashington in Northumberland on 11th October 1937 and was
born into a footballing family. His uncles Jack, George
and Jim all played for Leeds United and his other Uncle,
Stan, played for Chesterfield, Leicester and Rochdale.
Most famous of all his family members was his mother's
cousin, the great Newcastle United centre-forward Jackie
Milburn. Charlton played for both East Northumberland
Schools and England Schoolboys before joining United as
an amateur in January 1953, after being spotted by
United's chief scout, Joe Armstrong. He turned
professional in October 1954 and won F.A. Youth Cup
winners' plaques in 1954, 1955 and 1956. His league debut
came on 6th October 1956 when he scored twice versus
Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford. A League Championship winner in 1957, 1965 and 1967, he was an F.A. Cup Winner in 1963 and Cup Runner-up in 1957 and 1958. Perhaps his greatest night was in 1968 when he scored twice captaining United to a 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica in the European Champions Cup Final. Charlton was awarded Footballer of the Year and European Player of the Year in 1966, the same year that he became a World Cup Winner with England. He represented the Football League on 8 occasions, was capped at schoolboy, youth and under-23 levels, and won a then record 106 international caps. Charlton currently holds the England scoring record with 49 international goals. He is United's most capped player and made a club record 604 League appearances (plus 2 as a substitute) and scored a club record 199 league goals. His last League match for United was on 28th April 1973 at Stamford Bridge versus Chelsea. His testimonial match, versus Celtic on 18th September 1972, had attracted a crowd of 60,538 - the largest ever for a testimonial match. Charlton was a regular scorer for both club and country starting as an inside-forward before becoming an outside-left and finishing his career as a deep lying centre-forward. After his retirement Bobby Charlton took over as manager of Preston North End in May 1973. Unfortunately Preston were relegated to the Third Division during his time at the club which included a spell as player-manager from May 1974 to August 1975. Charlton played 38 league matches for Preston but resigned as manager in August 1975. He briefly played for Waterford in the Republic of Ireland in 1976 before accepting a position on the Board of Directors at Springfield Park with Wigan Athletic. He also took over briefly as caretaker-manager during season 1982-83. In June 1984 Bobby Charlton became a director of Manchester United, a position he still holds today. Awarded the O.B.E. in 1969 he has since become a C.B.E., and was knighted in June 1994. A former Manchester United and England captain, Bobby Charlton has become a respected ambassador for English football. At Old Trafford his playing days will be remembered not only for his good conduct and goalscoring but also for his long crossfield passes and powerful long range shot. Did You Know? During his national service he was a Lance Corporal in the 17th Company Royal Army Ordinance Corps. He scored on his debuts for England schoolboys, United’s first team and the full international team. When Bobby Charlton was knighted in 1994, he was the first footballer since Stanley Matthews to receive such an honour. It is a myth that Bobby’s mother taught him to play football. He says it came naturally or perhaps that his grandfather helped. Bobby comes from a footballing family - his mother's cousin was Newcastle United’s Jackie Milburn and his brother is the ex-Leeds United and England player, Jack Charlton. Three of his Uncles, Jack, George and Jim Milburn also played for Leeds United. Stan Milburn, another of Sir Bobby’s uncles played for Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale Bobby Charlton’s testimonial versus Celtic attracted 60,538 spectators, a record number for a testimonial. |