Sir Bobby Charlton: Life of Manchester United icon and World Cup winner to be celebrated in memorial service

The life of Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton will be celebrated in a memorial service at Manchester Cathedral on November 13. Widespread, touching tributes have been paid to the 1966 World Cup winner following his death at the age of 86 on October 21.

United said in a statement: “A memorial service celebrating the life of Sir Bobby Charlton will take place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday 13th November at 2pm GMT. The service will pay tribute to Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.

“The procession to the Cathedral will pass by Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and provide an opportunity for fans to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.”

Further details on the memorial service and procession will be communicated in due course. United’s statement added: “The family will then hold a private funeral ceremony for Sir Bobby and have requested privacy around the arrangements for this.”

In addition to playing a significant role in England's World Cup victory in 1966, Bobby Charlton was also a highly successful club player for United, who became the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968. Ten years after the Munich plane disaster, which Charlton and team manager Sir Matt Busby escaped but which took the lives of eight of Charlton's teammates, the player won the European Cup with United.

Born in Ashington on October 11, 1937, Charlton earned 106 caps for England and scored 49 goals while playing in the World Cup final with his brother Jack, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 85. At the age of 15, he joined Manchester United, and in 1956, he made his team debut.

After that, Charlton played 758 games with 249 goals for the Red Devils. Prior to being surpassed, respectively, by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, both were long-standing club records. Despite a brief spell as Preston's manager, he returned to the club as a director after winning three league titles and one FA Cup while playing at Old Trafford.

In 1994, he was knighted for his services to football.