ALEX STEPNEY: Sir Bobby Charlton was our talisman, our hero, and unbelievably my friend… his memorial was a great celebration befitting of a great man
- Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral took place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday
- The Manchester United and England legend recently passed away at the age of 86
- Sporting greats past and present also attended the memorial service
Monday was a great celebration, befitting a great man, but I know Bob would have said he never deserved it.
For someone who has been through so much and achieved so much, he was the most humble man.
When the club unveiled the stand named after him at Old Trafford, there were tears in his eyes as he said to me, ‘I don’t deserve this’, but as I said to him at the time, he deserved every award he got. He was a giant among us.
The turnout at the Cathedral was absolutely fantastic, with so many big football names such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Real Madrid’s Emilio Butragueno, and players wanting to pay their own tribute.
And if Prince William, the future King of England, were present, you would know where this man stood, not only for Manchester United, but also for his country. There was even a service in Ghana on Monday to commemorate his death.
Sir Bobby Charlton will be remembered as a Man United, England and global football legend
Former Manchester United goalkeeper and European Cup winner Alex Stepney was good friends with Charlton
Fans gathered at Old Trafford on Monday morning to pay their respects ahead of Charlton’s funeral
Stepney (green top) and Charlton (front) developed a strong friendship during their time together at Man United
His name was known worldwide and synonymous with English football; our talisman, our hero and, as I have often incredibly thought, my friend.
As the procession passed by, it was funny that the wind blew so strongly because it reminded me of those days when Bob unleashed his mighty thunderbolt. He jumped into the air to celebrate a goal and looked like he was hanging there almost majestically in the wind before landing, and then swept that tuft of hair over his head, as if to adjust his uniform. I could imagine him doing it again before he went in for his deployment.
Although it was somber, there had to be humor in it because Bob had a great humorous side that not everyone saw, so the tone of the eulogies from his grandson William and from David Gill was wonderful.
They told the truth of a man who was always competitive, even when he was playing cribbage with our teammates or playing dominoes with his grandchildren. He also loved to have fun and appreciated the people around him.
Charlton’s name was known worldwide and synonymous with English football; our talisman, our hero and, as Stepney often incredibly thought, his friend
Charlton’s funeral took place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday, following his death at the age of 86
Prince William was among those who attended the funeral service in Manchester
My lasting memory will be how lucky I was to share with him the day United won the European Cup in 1968.
What that meant to him, after surviving the Munich disaster ten years earlier, became clear throughout the night at Wembley. He was so determined. At 1-1 he told us we could score four and we did, and he scored two.
He drove us to that trophy, for his teammates that night and those who had been lost before. He was great.
If he had seen thousands of people coming for him, he would have been very proud. It was the perfect celebration of a great man, it was an appreciation of what he meant to the club. He was simply gorgeous. A great guy, a great family man. I loved him dearly.
