Manchester United and England national team legend Bobby Charlton died after an accidental fall in a nursing home, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
The former footballer, one of English football’s all-time greats, died at Macclesfield General Hospital on October 21 at the age of 86.
The Cheshire Coroner’s Court inquest into the death of the 1966 World Cup winner found that Charlton lost his balance when he rose from a chair and crashed into a windowsill and “possibly a radiator”.
Charlton lived at The Willows in Knutsford, a care home that cared for dementia patients, after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2020.
The team of experts examined Charlton’s entire body, noted no visible injuries and initially believed the former player’s mobility appeared unaffected, but later noticed swelling on his back.
Later tests showed Charlton had broken ribs and was likely to develop pneumonia, with doctors deciding the former England international needed to be placed in care before he died five days later.
Doctors reported that Charlton was “unsteady, especially when rising from a sitting position”, due to dementia.
Bobby Charlton, brother of 1966 world champion Jack Charlton, was, along with coach Matt Busby, one of the survivors of the plane crash that killed eight Manchester United players in February 1958 in Munich.
Bobby Charlton, one of the ‘Busby babes’, was involved in the rebuilding of Manchester United, winning the English Championship titles in 1964/65 and 1966/67 – adding to the 1956/57 scepter – and the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1964/65 and 1966/67. 1967/68, scored two of the goals in the 4-1 win against Benfica, in the final, at Wembley.
In the decisive match, on May 29, 1968, Bobby Charlton gave the ‘red devils’ a lead, in the 53rd minute Jaime Graça equalized for the ‘reds’, taking the match to extra time, when George Best in the 93rd minute , Brian Kidd, at 94, and, again, Bobby Charlton, at 99, sealed the English triumph.
Before that, at the 1966 World Cup, on July 28, also at Wembley, he scored the two goals in England’s 2-1 victory over Portugal, in the semi-finals, removing the ‘thin’ team, led by Eusébio , who, after Bobby Charlton’s goals, in the 30th and 80th minutes, set up the Portuguese goal in the 82nd by converting a penalty.
England would become world champions by beating RFA 4–2 after extra time with a Geoff Hurst hat-trick, with Bobby Charlton winning the Ballon d’Or and Eusébio relegated to second place in France Football magazine’s election – the former The English midfielder also finished second in 1967, behind Hungarian Flórián Albert, and in 1968, behind Northern Irishman George Best.
Named a Knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, he was top scorer for Manchester United (249 goals) and England (49) for more than 40 years, until Wayne Rooney broke both records.
In November 2020, his diagnosis of dementia was made public, the same disease that affected his brother Jack – who died in 2020 aged 85 – and Nobby Stiles, another world champion.
“Sir Bobby, a graduate of our youth academy, played 758 games and scored 249 goals during 17 years as a player for Manchester United, winning the European Cup, three league titles and the FA Cup. For England he won 106 caps for the national team and scored 49 goals, in addition to winning the 1966 World Cup,” said Manchester United.
The club also emphasizes that “after his retirement, he served the club with distinction as a director for 39 years.”
“His unparalleled record of achievement, character and dedication will be forever etched in the history of Manchester United and English football, and his legacy will live on through the transformative work of the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation,” the statement said. club, which presents the title. The club’s deepest condolences go out to his wife Lady Norma, his daughters and grandchildren and all who loved him.”
Source: DN
