Life haunted by the Munich disaster

On the morning of October 21, UK time, Man Utd fans received shocking news when Sir Bobby Charlton passed away. After 3 years of struggling with dementia, he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.

The symbol of Old Trafford and England has passed away forever, but his contributions and legacy will live on forever with football fans in the foggy island nation.

The pain of seeing teammates die in the Munich disaster

" Why me, why did I survive ?", Sir Bobby Charlton wrote in his autobiography. Those were the tormenting, inner words of Bobby Charlton as he escaped the Munich disaster.

Bobby Charlton in hospital after the Munich plane crash in 1958.

The horrific afternoon of February 6, 1958 left 7 Man Utd players dead on the spot, then the 8th person Duncan Edwards died in hospital.

That year, Bobby Charlton was only 20 years old. Around him were also young, talented teammates who people affectionately called "Busby's Kids".

Legendary manager Matt Busby built a generation of excellent young players, following his own method with a long-term plan to revive Man Utd. This generation of players began to reap success with two consecutive English championship titles in 1956 and 1957.

They represented England in the 1958 European Cup. After defeating Red Star Belgrade in the quarter-finals, they were involved in an accident on their way back to England.

" I was playing in a team with the world at their feet. Suddenly you come back and the club is struggling to survive. It was a traumatic time for Man Utd ," Bobby Charlton shared in 2008.

After the Munich disaster, Man Utd lost the Cup final, won one of their remaining 14 league games and were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by AC Milan. The team had to use youth players and borrow players to make up the squad.

Bobby Charlton was discharged from the hospital after a week. However, it took him nearly a month to recover from the shock and return to competition. From then on, Bobby Charlton became a different person.

" He stopped smiling ," said Bobby's brother, Jack.

Dailymail journalist Oliver Holt commented: " That is probably the reason why he is humble and does not let himself get carried away by success. His behavior seems to hide his happy feelings, because that is not the way it is for the dead. He carries their memories when he plays football. Bobby dedicates the victory to his old teammates, something they should have had together ."

In 2017, on his 80th birthday, Bobby Charlton confided that he was still haunted by the disaster of the past.

" That image still comes to me every day. Sometimes I regret and feel terribly sad for having survived. You see, for a short time, football, life seemed to lose its meaning. I was lucky to be in the right place ," Bobby Charlton expressed.

The Legendary Trio

After his return, Bobby Charlton became the leader of Man Utd. He led the midfield with his tireless movement. Besides, his strengths were his sharp vision and his trademark long-range shots with both feet.

The United Trinity statue of Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best outside Old Trafford.

However, to further exploit Bobby Charlton's passing ability, Man Utd brought in Dennis Law and George Best. They formed the legendary trio of Old Trafford. The United Trinity statue outside the stadium now honors the three former stars.

During the trio's time together, United won a string of trophies. They won the league in 1964/65 and 1965/67; the FA Cup in 1962/63; and the European Cup in 1967/68. Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best took turns winning the Ballon d'Or in 1964, 1966 and 1968.

Bobby Charlton won the Ballon d'Or in 1966 for helping England win their first and only World Cup. The 1968 European Cup victory marked 10 years since the Munich disaster.

Those two titles were the result of Bobby Charlton's relentless efforts. At the party to celebrate the Champions League championship, Bobby Charlton could not attend. His wife, Norma, said that he was mentally exhausted and could not get up from the hotel bed.

" He misses the boys who can't be here tonight ," Norma said.

Van Hai

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