October 29, (THEWILL) – Manchester United will pay tribute to the late great Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of their English Premier League clash with rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
In his programme notes for the Manchester derby, legendary former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, penned an emotional 1,000-word tribute to Charlton, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 85.
Ferguson recalled first seeing Charlton play for England against Scotland in 1958, just months after he survived the Munich Air Disaster. He described the young Charlton’s “magic” on the pitch that day.
He also explained how Charlton played a pivotal role in Ferguson getting the United job in 1986, immediately taking to his vision to build the club around youth.
Ferguson called Charlton the “greatest English player of all time”, praising his humility despite his many achievements. He passed on condolences to Charlton’s widow, Lady Norma.
Players from both United and City will pay their respects before kick-off at Old Trafford, where Charlton is being remembered with special banners around the ground.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
