11 Things You Didn’t Know About Bobby Charlton

Born: 11 October 1937 (age 82 years) in Ashington, United Kingdom, Sir Robert Charlton is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d’Or.  He is 1.73m of Height and weighs 72 kgs. Here are 11 things you didn’t know about Bobby.

1. From mining to Superstar.

His dad was a miner; hence Bobby occasionally went down the mines as a lad on the weekend when his dad went to collect his wages. “Everyone who went down to the mines was miserable, but when they came back up they were smiling”, he said. But his dad made it very plain that if he could find anything better to do, he should do it. 

2. He came from a family of footballers.

Fortunately, he came from a football family; his uncles all played and they inspired him. His brother Jack was also part of the 1966 England side, and later went on to manage Ireland. His mother had four brothers, Jack, George, Jim and Stan Milburn, who were professional footballers, as well as cousins. 

3. He played for Man Utd.

A forward on the Manchester United team from 1954 until he retired in 1973, The ultimate Manchester United ambassador, Sir Bobby Charlton signed for the Reds on June 1 1953 at the age of 15 and has provided sterling service on and off the pitch ever since. With the help of his trademark rocket shot he scored 247 goals in 754 games over a 17-year playing career. He also starred in England’s 1966 World Cup win.

4. Charlton survived a near death experience.

In 1958, football was nearly robbed of this great talent. Charlton survived an airplane crash near Munich, West Germany, on February 6, 1958. Of the 44 passengers and crew including the 17-strong Manchester United squad, 23 people, eight of them Manchester United players died as a result of their injuries in the crash. Charlton survived with minor injuries. Of the eight other players who survived, two of them were injured so badly that they never played again meanwhile, Charlton was the first injured survivor to leave hospital.

5. Bobby Charlton’s Net Worth.

The English retired professional soccer player has an estimated net worth of $25 million.

6. Family life.

Charlton met his wife, Norma Ball, at an ice rink in Manchester in 1959 and they married in 1961. They have two daughters – Suzanne and Andrea. Suzanne was a weather forecaster for the BBC during the 1990s. They now have grandchildren, including Suzanne’s son Robert, who is named in honour of his grandfather. Still in the family, Charlton revealed that he had a long-running feud with his brother, Jack. They have rarely spoken since a falling-out between his wife Norma and his mother Cissie, who died on 25 March 1996 at the age of 83. Charlton did not see his mother after 1992 as a result of the feud.

7. Management career and directorships.

After his retirement from United, Charlton managed the Preston North End team (1973–75) and was later director of the Wigan Athletic Football Club. He was knighted in 1994, becoming only the sixth person to be granted the highly prestigious honour for contribution to football. In 1984 Charlton became a member of the Manchester United board of directors. He remains a director of Manchester United. 

8. He also ventured into business enterprises.

He built up several businesses in areas such as travel, jewellery and hampers, and ran soccer schools in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and China.

9. Sir Bobby has authored a number of Books.

Charlton was the author of My Soccer Life (1965), Forward for England (1967), My Manchester United Years: The Autobiography (2007), My England Years: The Autobiography (2008), and other books.

10. He went bald “prematurely”.

He went bald prematurely and is famous for his subsequent comb-over. He said he in fact started going bald at 17, saying it did not bother him and he never lost any sleep over it.

11. He is an example to emulate by other footballers.

His legacy is worth much more than just football. Charlton is a stand-out example for footballers due to his charity work. He has been involved in fundraising for cancer charities, as well as land-mine clearance for many years, to name just two of the charities he is involved with.

And finally, if there is any justice in the world, football will always remember Sir Bobby Charlton as one of its brightest stars, and a true legend of the game. Long live Sir Bobby.