Bobby Charlton was born on October 11th1937, in Ashington, Northumberland, and turned professional with Manchester United in October 1954
Bobby Charlton was born on October 11th1937, in Ashington, Northumberland, and turned professional with Manchester United in October 1954. Tremendously fit and athletic, with a superb feint and change of feet, he packed a shot so hard that, if on target, few keepers had a chance of stopping it. Yet he was also one of the most elegant of players, sweeping forward with a natural grace that could take the breath away. The tragic plane crash at Munich in 1958 that destroyed Matt Busby's 'Babes' affected Bobby profoundly but on the field he continued to develop apace.
By the mid-1960s, he had settled into a deep-lying play-maker role, where he could utilise his unique talents to the full. The rewards, both with Manchester United and England, would now be reaped. An FA Cup win in 1963 would be followed by two League Championships in 1965 and 1967, topped off by the European Cup in 1968. In between times, there was the little matter of helping England take the 1966 World Cup! Bobby was Player of the Tournament, scoring a thunderous goal against Mexico to set England on the road to glory and, following one of his two goals against Portugal in the semi final, he was applauded back to the centre circle by every member of the Portuguese team.
Bobby Charlton ended his England career with106 caps and set the record for goals scored by an English striker. He was Footballer of the Year for both England and Europe in 1968, and received the first-ever PFA Merit Award in 1974. Fittingly, he was knighted in1994 and is now a director at Old Trafford.
(c) Givemefootball.com official Bobby Charlton profile
