Last farewell to the ‘9’ professor

Old Trafford will say goodbye to ‘sir’ on Sunday Bobby Charlton, the gentleman of English football who has died aged 86, with a Manchester derby that seemed destined to be the city’s best and final tribute to a much-idolized figure. The high-profile match between City and United comes after several days of mass recognition by ‘red devils’ fans, with farewell messages and memories, especially in the Champions League match where United beat Copenhagen, in a night that started with tears and ended with the euphoria of a thrilling victory, as Charlton. A dramatic achievement, to his credit, because unity in drama is in United’s very heritage and history.

Although they are fierce rivals, City also wanted to join in on Sunday to say goodbye to a United legend and the English national team, one of the greatest footballers born in the United Kingdom, who helped England win the 1966 World Cup . Charlton He established himself as the great scorer that he is. Respected and admired by all, he is a ‘9’ not only in the area, but also as a reference as an attacking midfielder, how he covers the field and dominates the ball with both feet. A legendary player who marked the era when football was still played on muddy fields and seen in black and white.

The image and memory of ‘sir’ Bobby Charlton They were all at Old Trafford. In the courtyard of the statue of the Holy Trinity (next to Dennis Law and George Best), with whom he won the 1968 European Cup, in the southern stand that bears his name, in the hearts of the fans who idolized him. Charlton He survived the plane crash in Munich, in which eight of his former teammates died, when United were returning from a match against Red Star Belgrade in 1958. The miraculous chance of his survival will mark the his life with United and the English team.

Overcoming adversity is key to the mystery of his figure, but it does not define his life. His humility, despite being part of all of United’s great successes. A product of the harsh upbringing he received in his mining roots in Ashington was his lack of confidence when it came to enjoying happiness, questioning throughout his life whether he should celebrate successes after a tragedy such as that experienced he.

Charlton He played 758 games in a Red Devils shirt and ended up scoring 249 goals in 17 years at Old Trafford. He would also star in English football’s greatest moment of glory, with the 1966 World Cup title, where he scored three goals, two of them in the memorable semi-final against Portugal. Eusebius. In the national shirt he never left an ambition unfulfilled and became friends with everyone, from Pele and Beckenbauer until Lev Yashin and Alfredo Di Stefano.

The empty seat

Charlton It symbolizes and represents everything United is, as an image of its achievements and history. It is not about the titles he achieved, but his behavior after glory, on and off the field, which extends to his role as director of the club. “There’s nothing better than this,” he said after watching United come back in the dying seconds of the 1999 final against Bayern Munich, when they won the title in Barcelona.

He also accompanied United to lift the trophy in Moscow in 2008, maintaining his record of seeing all Manchester United’s European Cup triumphs. is Charlton who christened Old Trafford as the ‘theatre of dreams’. He lived up to many of them at the same old Old Trafford that cheered him on in his farewell, starring memorable goals and plays. United fans pass on his memory to each new generation so that what he did is not forgotten. Charlton and the ‘Busby Babes’ they did in their time, decades ago. They will always be a reference point.

Empty seats are rare at Old Trafford. The only one was on Tuesday in the directors’ box, where a wreath of flowers was placed. That is the place where he will sit Bobby Charlton. Like the tribute on the field, the message is simple but poignant: “Loved, adored, not forgotten.” The tribute was attended by former colleagues of Charlton, Alex Stepney, Brian Kidd and Paddy Crerandwho added their names to another 15,000 who left a message in the condolence book on the field. Stepney with coach, Erik ten Haagthe captain of the youth team Dan Gore, with a bagpipe interpretation of ‘Man United will never die’, to lay a wreath of flowers in the center circle. The ceremony is symbolic of the coming together of three generations to live in memory. A full stadium sang ‘A Bobby Charlton’.

No one wants to stop paying respects to a humble man who is adored throughout the United Kingdom, considered one of the best players of all time. Charlton This is everything in Manchester. And despite the rivalry, and in a stroke of fate, United and City will together on Sunday pay their last respects at Old Trafford to English football’s first ‘sir’, the ‘professor’ of the ‘9’. Pep Guardiola promised that his club, which had to condemn offensive chants at the Etihad towards his figure, will know how to rise from this moment: “I love this country for many things, but one of them is how it is taken care of the legends and Sir Bobby “It represents the history of English football.”