Terry Venables recently described this footballing knight as a 'national treasure' and there's no doubting that for most of the world he is a symbol of English football.
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Bobby Charlton enjoys a joke with brother, England team-mate and old adversary Jack (left)
(HultonArchive/Allsport) |
Many a story has been spun about people in far-flung corners of the world associating England with 'Bobbee Charlton' and that's can be attributed in no small part to his exploits in 1966.
While Geoff Hurst may have taken the plaudits for his hat-trick in the final, it's Charlton who was Player of the Tournament and was European Footballer of the Year that same year.
Manager Alf Ramsey decided to give the Manchester United stalwart a free role behind strikers Hurst and Roger Hunt and Charlton's goals and attacking verve were a major factor in England's victory.
He scored a thunderous goal against Mexico in the group stages and following one of his two goals against Portugal he was applauded back to the centre-circle by every member of the Portugese team.
The final saw the West Germans pick him out as the dangerman and sacrifice their own creative force in Franz Beckenbauer to counteract him.
Charlton, ever emotional, will be forever remembered for sobbing tears of joy when England eventually lifted the Jules Rimet trophy.
In four World Cups - he was an unused squad member in 1958, just a few months after surviving the Munich Air disaster - he came to be recognised as one of the world's best.
Playing in a variety of positions - on the wing, as a centre-forward or inside forward - Charlton is one of the most graceful players to ever walk the earth. Athletic with a superb feint and change of feet he packed a shot so hard that if hit the target few keepers had a chance of stopping it.
In Mexico in 1970, Charlton was very much an elder statesman, though younger than he looked. After England went into what looked like a comfortable 2-0 lead against the Germans with Charlton at his best, Ramsey chose to save his kingpin's legs for the semi-final and brought on Manchester City's Colin Bell.
It came to be seen as a disastrous decision as England blew their lead and eventually lost 3-2 in extra-time. With Charlton unable to do anything from the sidelines it was a bathetic ending to a glittering World Cup career.
A true ambassador for English football, and, just like old adversary Franz Beckenbauer, Charlton continues to play a leading role in his country's footballing affairs.
