Sir Bobby Charlton remembered with moving tributes and minute of applause at Old Trafford ahead of the Manchester derby, as United and City fans join club legends in mourning the passing of the England great
- Old Trafford observed a minute of applause while fans chanted in tribute
- Sir Bobby Charlton was remembered with banners, flowers, and balloons
- Former team-mates and opponents gathered at Old Trafford to pay respects
Sir Bobby Charlton was remembered at Old Trafford with a moving tribute ahead of Manchester United’s match against Manchester City.
A minute of applause was held and club greats from United and City gathered around the centre circle while a huge banner was held aloft.
Pat Crerand, Mike Summerbee, John Aston, Alex Stepney, Brian Kidd, and Tony Book stood together around a tribute which read: ‘Sir Bobby Charlton, 1937-2023: Forever Loved’.
In the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, fans held up white sheets to spell out ‘Sir Bobby’.
Outside the ground, thousands of flowers, balloons, photos, and cards were laid around the United Trinity statue of Charlton, George Best, and Denis Law.
The minute’s tribute to Charlton was observed impeccably as fans clapped and started in chanting in his name.
Old Trafford paid tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton in Manchester United’s the first Premier League game since his passing
Former team-mates and opponents John Aston, Tony Book, Pat Crerand, Alex Stepney, Brian Kidd, and Mike Summerbee paid tribute to Charlton
Fans held tribute aloft in the stands and clapped and sang during a minute dedicated to him
Players past and present gathered around the centre circle to remember the England great
Charlton passed away on October 23 aged 86 after a battle with dementia, surroundd by his family and friends.
Tributes have flooded in for one of the most influential men in football history, whose actions defined an era for England and United.
Sir Alex Ferguson penned a moving 1,000-word eulogy for Charlton in the matchday programme for today.
His words form part of a 28-page special in United’s matchday magazine with a picture of Charlton as a smiling young United player on the cover.
In it, he wrote: ‘It’s no surprise to me that we’ve seen tributes to Sir Bobby from everywhere in the world, on every TV channel and in every newspaper, because he was without question the greatest English player of all time.
‘People loved him because of all those thunderbolt goals but it was more than that. My dad used to say that humility in success is a sign of greatness, and that was Bobby. He never used to boast about his own achievements; it was always about the team and the club.’
Many members of the footballing world have posted tributes to Charlton online.
David Beckham wrote: ‘It all began with Sir Bobby. Sir Bobby was the reason I had the opportunity to play for Manchester United…
Erik ten Hag, who has already made moving tributes to the great, joined the minute’s applause
Sir Bobby Charlton commanded respect from former team-mates and opponents
Sir Alex Ferguson wrote a moving 1000-word eulogy about the late Sir Bobby Charlton
Ferguson labelled Sir Bobby his ‘tower of strength’ and the ‘greatest English player of all time’
‘I will be forever grateful to a man I was named after, someone I looked up to and was a hero to many around the world not just in Manchester and our country where he won the World Cup in 1966,’ Beckham posted on Instagram.
‘A true gentleman, family man and truly a national hero… Today isn’t just a sad day for Manchester United & England it’s a sad day for football and everything that Sir Bobby represented.’
Sir Geoff Hurst, who played in the 1966 World Cup final with Charlton, wrote: ‘We will never forget him & nor will all of football.’
Erik ten Hag led a tribute to the legend in United’s game against Copenhagen in the Champions League, walking onto the pitch with a bagpipe and laying a wreath in his honour.
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