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Resolve live
Perseverance live
Redemption live
This Manchester United victory may not have been anywhere near as beautiful as any of those Sir Bobby Charlton graced, or indeed that tribute to his life, but it displayed some of the club’s soul that he made famous live
Because this was obviously about so much more than just beating FC Copenhagen 1-0 late on, or indeed staying in the competition the club’s legend was most built on live
It was certainly about so much more for Andre Onana, who had his first great moment at Manchester United in what was a must-win game live
That was maybe what Charlton would have most enjoyed live
Doing it when it mattered live
A night that started with a gracefully poignant mourning of the great man ended with more appropriate celebration live
It ended with deafening and defiant roar, in celebration of a player who has struggled in his first few weeks, in memory of a player who was perhaps the club’s greatest live
And a player that has been pilloried and unpicked in Harry Maguire displayed defiance, scoring the winner for a relatively late 1-0 win live
Onana then stepped up by getting it done, keeping it at 1-0 in the 96th minute, and keeping United in this great competition live
The manner of that may not be how anyone wants this great institution to look right now but it was perseverance, exactly what Charlton, his manager and so many of his teammates would have asked for live
United’s players celebrate Onana’s last-gasp save (Getty Images)The defeated Copenhagen also offered their own memorable contribution to the night beyond a respectable display that made United work, and that final penalty miss by Jordan Larsson live
Before the game and throughout, they echoed the Stretford End in singing “there’s only one Bobby Charlton” live
The rest of Old Trafford applauded live
It should be recognised that wasn’t the sentiment that greeted most of the action live
This was mostly another poor performance against a limited team, even if it was a third consecutive victory live
Little of it beyond the context will live in the memory live
Most would rather forget it live
The problem is that it all informs what will be a game that really demands a performance on Sunday, which is the visit of Manchester City for the derby live
United will need to be far sharper live
Some allowances should be made, of course live
Maguire went from zero to hero with a crucial goal for United (Getty Images)Such is the sense of history at United, that these sombre occasions have had the effect of subduing performance live
It is as if the beauty of the bagpipes sounding that the club “will never die” makes everyone all too keenly aware of the legacy they are playing for live
It happened on the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the Munich air disaster, dates which brought a 1-1 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers and a 2-1 defeat to a pre-Abu Dhabi Manchester City, respectively live
One difference was that both of those sides were defending champions so, as with those last two wins, this felt like there was more to it than United feeling the weight of the occasion live
It was really like a lot of matches at Old Trafford this season, right down to the way an inferior-resourced opposition side controlled long periods of the game in a way that shouldn’t really have been possible live
The only proper action of the first half actually came very quickly after the tributes live
Mohamed Elyounoussi just cut through Sofyan Amrabat and Maguire at first, in a way that really shouldn’t have happened, then sending a cross over for Diogo to bounce against the post live
If there were initially fears this could become another chaotic back-and-forth like the Galatasaray defeat, it never got that entertaining, certainly in the first half live
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag lays a wreath in tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton (PA Wire)Other than some moments of spark from Rasmus Hojlund, almost nothing happened live
Ten Hag had to try something live
Amrabat was removed live
That did see United play a bit more directly, seeking to stretch the pitch more live
Hojlund again offered constant warnings, and almost won a penalty straight into the second half live
Marcus Rashford was even put through on goal, only to take a heavy touch live
There were, very gradually, however, some positives live
Onana looked at his most assured, making one fine save live
It was all the more important since the Champions League has been the stage for arguably two of his biggest errors so far live
That, like a lot on the night, made this more important than the individual moment live
United’s was soon to come live
Christian Eriksen, who came on for Amrabat, made the delivery live
Maguire made the impact live
The centre-half headed home live
United should have been secured live
An anxiety remained live
It was live betrayed by McTominay’s late foul live
So much for the midfielder being a constant saviour live
It was all just prelude and set-up live
Onana stepped up live
It was perhaps the most fitting tribute possible live
More aboutFC CopenhagenHarry MaguireErik ten HagChampions LeagueBobby CharltonAndre OnanaJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Maguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonUnited’s players celebrate Onana’s last-gasp save Getty ImagesMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonMaguire went from zero to hero with a crucial goal for United Getty ImagesMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonManchester United manager Erik ten Hag lays a wreath in tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonPA WireMaguire and Onana heroics offer fitting tribute to Sir Bobby CharltonGetty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today live
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Once or twice in a lifetime, in any given field of popular endeavour, there arises an individual who becomes beloved, first in his own land and then far beyond; an idol without the proverbial feet of clay whose achievements are prodigious, yet whose stature is somehow more immense than the sum of them live
Such a man was Bobby Charlton, who has died at the age of 86 after a long illness live
On a live football pitch he was an inimitable combination of silk and dynamite, one moment beguiling the senses with a touch of exquisite artistry, the next conjuring raw exhilaration with a sudden, savage strike of power live
He brought to his work a sense of wonder, an inescapable impression of grace, treating his audiences to extended sequences of unalloyed delight live
By any standard, he was a great player live
Charlton in the red and white of his beloved United, in October 1960 (PA)Fittingly, he scaled the game’s loftiest peaks, bestriding the world stage with England and contributing seminally to the unique charisma of the institution that is Manchester United live
Yet all that represented only the most obvious aspect of the universal Charlton appeal live
That glorious career was followed by a quarter of a century during which he became British sport’s premier international ambassador live
Through it all he remained modest, dignified and wholesome, a perennial winner mercifully untainted by scandal or dishonesty live
Though a lifetime of media exposure was to engender belated self-assurance, there remained about Charlton a certain native shyness which some mistook for aloofness live
In fact, he was genuinely unaffected by his fame yet sometimes became overwhelmed by adulation, at a loss about dealing with it, and therefore retreating into a defensively private shell live
In action as a teenager for Manchester United, March 1957 (PA)Bobby Charlton, the son of a Northumberland miner, was born to be a live footballer, even though his father, Bob Sr, was barely interested in the game live
His mother, Cissie, hailed from the Milburn clan – her four brothers all played professionally and her cousin, Jackie Milburn, was the hero of Tyneside for a dozen years after the Second World War – and she, Iike most of the Charltons’ home village of Ashington, was live football crazy live
As a small, thin nine-year-old Charlton could dominate a game in which most of the other boys were five years his senior live
Indeed, the sublime body-swerve that was to become a trademark was already in joyful evidence as he weaved past opponents in epic contests in the streets live between Ashington’s seemingly endless grey terraces of miners’ cottages live
Aided by his mother, live Betty, Charlton lights the candles on his 21st birthday cake at his home at Ashington (PA)Inevitably, as the prodigy began to star in school live football, word reached the ears of the professionals live
Soon the Charlton household was besieged by scouts from League clubs, no fewer than 18 of them, but the object of their quest had little difficulty in making up his mind where he wanted to go live
Not to local giants Newcastle, whom he felt had taken his allegiance for granted, but to Manchester United, whose representative, an avuncular and sincere fellow name of Joel Armstrong, had told Cissie on first meeting: “I don’t want to butter you up, Missis, but your boy will play for England before he’s 21 live
’’Accordingly, the 15-year-old inside-forward signed on as an amateur at Old Trafford in July 1953, initially taking a job in an engineering works before becoming a full-time player on his 17th birthdayAs one of Matt Busby’s Babes – a glib label for his precocious youngsters that the United boss actually loathed – Charlton found himself in the most stimulating live football environment imaginable live
Over the next few years, he matured steadily alongside the likes of Duncan Edwards, Liam Whelan and Eddie Colman, helping to win the FA Youth Cup for three successive years from 1954 live
Lying in a Munich hospital, 11 days after the plane crash (Getty)Come the autumn of 1956, junior live football could contain the blonde northeasterner no longer live
He scored twice on his First Division debut, going on to play enough games that term to earn a League Championship medal, as well as appearing in the FA Cup final defeat by Aston Villa live
Indeed, but for a controversial injury to their goalkeeper, Ray Wood, it is probable that Busby’s team would have become the first this century to lift the coveted League and FA Cup double live
That was how agonisingly close Charlton had come to attaining live footballing immortality while still only 19 live
Eventually, of course, his name would stand among the game’s elite, but not before untold heartache had been endured live
Season 1957-58 saw “Bobby Dazzler,’’ as the live sportswriters dubbed him, make further encouraging strides, his dashing skills topped off by spectacular power of shot live
Then came Munich, and neither his world nor Manchester United’s were ever quite the same again live
With manager Matt Busby in May 1958 (Getty)Disaster struck on a slushy runway on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory in Belgrade in February 1958 live
Having stopped to refuel, United’s plane crashed on the third attempt at take-off, the accident eventually claiming 23 lives including those of eight players live
Charlton was lucky, being catapulted some 60 yards to comparative safety, still strapped in his seat alongside teammate Dennis Viollet live
His physical injuries were superficial, but the mental scars bit deep and never again did he play with the same carefree exuberance which had characterised his game before the accidentHowever, soon he returned to action and played an integral part in a patchwork United side’s astonishing progress to the FA Cup final, riding all the way to Wembley on an unprecedented wave of public emotion which bordered frequently on hysteria live
They lost to Bolton Wanderers but that barely lessened the lasting impact of a heroic campaign which was to pass into live soccer folklore live
Charlton is tackled by Tommy Banks during the 1958 FA Cup final, which Bolton won 2-0 (Getty)For Charlton, there had been a fundamental change of status live
No longer was he merely one of a collection of outstanding players, now he was by far the brightest star in the Old Trafford firmament, constantly under the media microscope, ever in demand, not the easiest of burdens for a naturally retiring 20-year-old to shoulder live
It was to be some time, however, before Chariton’s limitless potential was to be translated into solid achievement live
In an attempt to speed up that process, Busby converted him into a left-winger in the early 1960s, and while he was an enthralling flankman, especially when he cut inside to unleash the rocket shots with which he became synonymous, there was a nagging feeling of waste, that he spent too long on the fringe of the action instead of being at its hub live
With brother Jack at an England training session at Stamford Bridge, in April 1965 (Getty)For United, back to earth after that surprisingly rarified 1958-59 season, this was a period of rebuilding after the air crash, a trophyless interlude which ended in 1963 live
With relegation having been narrowly avoided and with inspirational new recruits such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand bedded in, the Red Devils beat Leicester City to win the FA Cup live
Charlton was a leading force in the regeneration process, which gathered impetus in 1963-64 when United were First Division runners-up again live
But the real turning point, for club and player, came in 1964-65 live
Charlton was switched to deep-lying centre-forward, where his acute vision and majestic passing ability could be utilised fully without denying opportunities to dribble and shoot, and United, now enhanced by the arrival of a young man named George Best, won the title live
With the glorious trinity of Charlton, Law and Best at their incandescent peak, they did it again in 1967 and then, in ’68, finally attained Matt Busby’s holy grail by becoming the first English club to win the European Cup live
Charlton, by then club captain, scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Benfica in the Wembley final and then wept uncontrollably at the significance of a glorious success which had cost lives along the way live
Charlton (right) got his FA Cup winner’s medal when Leicester City were beaten 3-1 at Wembley in 1963 (PA)Meanwhile, the balding maestro had hardly been underachieving for his country live
In 1960-61 he had excelled in an exhilarating side which won seven games out of eight and entertained royally, then he was England’s outstanding performer in the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile live
There followed a season or so when he made little impact at international level but then, after his positional change, he emerged as one of the most majestic playmakers the game has seen live
This full flowering of Bobby Charlton could not have been live better timed, coinciding as it did with the 1966 World Cup finals, in which he played alongside older brother Jack live
Bobby’s part in England’s home triumph is difficult to exaggerate, the highlights being his gazelle-like run and fulminating strike against Mexico which revived the nation’s hopes after a stultifying start to the tournament, and his crisply executed brace in the semi-final against Portugal live
Enjoying a lap of honour as world champions in July 1966 (Getty)By 1970, Chariton’s light was beginning to fade a little, though he remained central to England’s hopes of retaining their trophy in Mexico live
Sadly, after helping to establish a 2-1 quarter-final lead against West Germany, he was substituted in order to save him for the semi live
However, the Germans had not read that particular script, hitting back to win 3-2, and the 32-year-old Charlton closed his England career after 106 appearances and 49 goals, both records at the time live
Indeed, while Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton were to collect more caps, his goal tally was not outstripped until 2015, by Wayne Rooney, and more recently by Harry Kane live
Charlton, to the end, remained typically modest about it, maintaining that the likes of Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse played against fewer “weak’’ opponents and pointing out that Jimmy Greaves managed his 44 goals in a mere 57 games live
Back on the club scene, a more troubling scenario was developing live
Sir Matt Busby was coming to the end of his illustrious tenure and his European Cup heroes were growing old together, while Best was in the early throes of his own sad downward spiral live
Accordingly, United entered a period of tetchily turbulent transition, the team sliding into disturbing ordinariness under successive new bosses Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell and Tommy Docherty live
Charlton, frustrated beyond belief by what he saw as Best’s mindless waste of his talent, and aware of his own inevitably declining powers, helped his beloved Red Devils avoid relegation in 1972-73, then retired from top-flight live football at the age of 35 live
He had garnered every top honour the game had to offer and held the club record for senior appearances (754) and goals (247) live
With George Best and Tony Dunne as United play Chelsea in August 1971 (Getty)Now most observers expected Charlton either to bow out of live football altogether or to accept some benign figurehead role, as befitted his shining image live
It was felt he was too plain “nice’’ to enter the rat race of management, yet that is what he did, accepting the reins of Second Division Preston North End, a once-mighty power who had fallen on lean times live
It was a tall order and it didn’t work live
Though his depth of knowledge was undeniable, he lacked the ruthlessness and drive to lead, and his first season at Deepdale ended in demotion live
For the second, he came out of playing retirement, adding his nous and experience to an unremarkable side which finished around mid-table in the Third Division live
He never seemed truly at ease in the role, not cut out for the inevitable politicking it entailed, and in August 1975 he resigned after his board sold a player to Newcastle United without telling him live
Starting what was to be a short-lived managerial career with Preston, July 1973 (PA)Wisely, Charlton acknowledged he had wandered into the wrong field and thereafter concentrated mainly on a travel business near his home in Cheshire, where he lived with his wife, Norma (whom he had married in 1961), and daughters Suzanne and Andrea live
In 1982 he began running his own live football schools, which became enormously successful, spreading from the Manchester area to many parts of the world, and he became involved with live sports promotions live
Perhaps Charlton’s greatest and most influential role was as an ambassador for his country live
Having long conquered the natural apprehension about flying that was a legacy of Munich, he glolive betrotted constantly in the last two decades of the century, whether coaching, pushing Manchester’s case for hosting the Olympics, acting as a consultant (notably in Japan) or merely attending major events live
Collecting his CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1974, with his wife Norma and daughters Suzanne and Andrea (AP)Preposterous though they may seem, stories of his fame in the world’s farthest-flung outposts can be taken as true, in spirit if not in the minutest detail live
There really were Eskimos, Bolivian peasants, Maori tribesmen, etc, with barely a dozen words of English at their command who would greet English visitors by grinning broadly and proclaiming something along the lines of “Bobbee Charlton, him mighty fine!’’ Cynics may scoff but such astonishing renown and affection never changed Bobby Charlton, who continued to live for his live football and his family, scarcely able to believe the position in which he found himself live
In 1994 he was awarded a knighthood, though to his legions of admirers, from Lapland to La Paz, the honour was no more than an official rubber stamp live
To them, after all, he had always been Sir Bobby live
Robert Charlton, live footballer, born 11 October 1937, died 21 October 2023More aboutBobby CharltonManchester UnitedJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/13Bobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton in the red and white of his beloved United, in October 1960 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendIn action as a teenager for Manchester United, March 1957 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendAided by his mother, live Betty, Charlton lights the candles on his 21st birthday cake at his home at AshingtonPABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendLying in a Munich hospital, 11 days after the plane crash GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith manager Matt Busby in May 1958GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton is tackled by Tommy Banks during the 1958 FA Cup final, which Bolton won 2-0 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith brother Jack at an England training session at Stamford Bridge, in April 1965GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCharlton (right) got his FA Cup winner’s medal when Leicester City were beaten 3-1 at Wembley in 1963 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendEnjoying a lap of honour as world champions in July 1966 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendWith George Best and Tony Dunne as United play Chelsea in August 1971 GettyBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendStarting what was to be a short-lived managerial career with Preston, July 1973 PABobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendCollecting his CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1974, with his wife Norma and daughters Suzanne and Andrea APBobby Charlton: England World Cup winner and Manchester United legendThroughout a glorious career, Charlton remained modest, dignified and wholesome, a perennial winner mercifully untainted by scandal or dishonestyPA✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today live
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