Perhaps it was apt that the skies cleared and the sun shone. That Storm Babet chose this day to subside in Manchester, the clouds lifting over a city united to celebrate, as well as mourn, one of its greatest sons.
Sir Bobby Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland, but common consent agrees that he found a home for life at Manchester United. The son of a miner forged by the steel of Sir Matt Busby’s homegrown teams steered the club into the modern day with Sir Alex Ferguson; three red knights who shaped United’s history.
How much Charlton means to United fans is almost unquantifiable; yet the masses who made the trip to Old Trafford a day after his death, to pay their respects, was a mark of how beloved he was. Each came with their own stories of meeting the great man, explaining how he’d take time to shake the hands of young fans before games. They stopped at the United Trinity statue, where Charlton is immortalised alongside his friends and teammates, George Best and Denis Law. His stone cast was draped in a red and black scarf on Sunday morning as flowers, shirts and flags were laid at his feet.
“He was just United, wasn’t he?” said one supporter, who brought a bunch of red roses. “We owe everything to him. We wouldn’t be what we are without him.”
Rose Mills, a United fan for more than 40 years, said: “When I heard yesterday [Saturday] that Sir Bobby had passed, I thought there was only one place I wanted to be and that was Old Trafford.” Not even cancellations on Manchester’s Metrolink service stopped supporters arriving in their droves. “I got a cab up and paid my respects at the Trinity statue. I think it’s poignant that Sir Bobby has the scarf around his neck.
“He was a legend. He’s the last link between the Busby Babes, he survived Munich and he lifted the European Cup in 1968 as captain. He’ll be sorely missed. Any genuine football fan will have a pain in their heart today.”
The first wreath had been laid on Saturday afternoon by a small boy in a Bruno Fernandes No 8 shirt – an emblem of United’s enduring appeal to youngsters and Charlton’s connection to the present day. The club had won Sir Bobby’s own heart as a 10-year-old listening to the 1948 FA Cup final on the wireless. More youngsters arrived with tributes on Sunday, parents and grandparents in tow, extolling the virtues of a bygone great.
“When I first started supporting United in the late 80s, the first thing I did was research the history, and Bobby Charlton was just the one who stood out,” said United fan Rob, who brought his son Thomas to pay their respects. “He was the main reason why I got into watching football and supporting United. After that there was no other team for me.
“Thomas is full of questions, he’s been asking all about him, so there’s been a history lesson on the way here and hopefully he comes away knowing what Bobby Charlton was all about.”
Over at the International Suite in the Stretford End, United set up four books of condolences for fans to sign and those at the statue were encouraged to walk across, through the Munich Memorial Tunnel, past the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand. It’s an extra day’s work for club staff – “but we don’t mind” said one attendant – as supporters lined up to leave their own personal messages for Charlton. The suite and the books will remain open from 10am until 10pm on every non matchday this week.
“With the tributes and the books, nobody else would do it like we do it,” said season-ticket holder Jason Phelan, who brought his son Nathan. “That’s just typical United. And Sir Bobby was United through and through.” Nathan added: “What we’ve got to do now is hope the players honour him and just continue his legacy.”
Diogo Dalot said many of United’s first team players had been inspired by Charlton’s memory in their 2-1 win at Sheffield United on Saturday night, which Dalot settled with a thunderous, Charlton-esque strike from 20 yards.
In truth, Charlton’s impact goes way beyond the pitch, beyond the fact he was a World Cup winner, Munich survivor and playing great. For so many Manchester United fans, he was more than a footballer, he was a role model, a pioneer and a gentleman. As another fan put it: “There’s no bigger part of United than Sir Bobby.”
