CHRIS WHEELER: A night of love as Sir Bobby Charlton worshippers are out in force to pay their respects to one of Manchester United’s greats – he was a man of the people and always will be
As fans walked past the Trinity statue last night to pay their respects to Sir Bobby Charlton, a man in a baseball cap stopped and bowed his head as if standing at an altar. After a few moments of silent contemplation, he loosened his hands and crossed himself.
MUFC The Religion, a banner used at Old Trafford, and no one was more adored than Sir Bobby.
Amid the profusion of floral tributes, scarves and jumpers laid out among Charlton, Denis Law and George Best, a lone candle flickered.
Behind the statue, among the photographs adorning the perimeter wall, was an iconic black and white image of Charlton lifting the European Cup at Wembley in 1968 and a color photo of Sir Matt Busby kneeling next to the trophy that meant so much to both men. .
Other supporters stood behind metal railings and simply observed the scene. A separate room had been set up where the media could record the events. Stars of yesteryear came and went. Sammy McIlroy spoke to Sky Sports News.
Man United fans came to pay their respects to Sir Bobby Charlton on Tuesday evening
Erik ten Hag led the tributes as he walked out of the tunnel behind a bagpiper while flanked by United’s youth team captain Dan Gore (left) and Alex Stepner (right)
Of course, it wasn’t all nostalgia. The street vendors were doing brisk business, some hastily making black T-shirts with Charlton on the front. Under two banners draped on the facade of Old Trafford in tribute to perhaps United’s favorite son, the Megastore was also busy.
A few meters away, the police in full riot gear prepared for the arrival of the FC Copenhagen fans. It was only a few weeks ago that 2,000 Galatasaray fans infiltrated here at home, so they couldn’t be too careful.
But this was a night for love and not hate. A planned anti-Glazer protest had been called off, and the usual messages calling on the owners to leave the club were for once absent from the south-west quadrant of the stadium, next to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and the directors’ box, where a De wreath was placed on seat number 122 by CEO Richard Arnold.
“Loved, adored, never forgotten,” read a handwritten note.
When the United fans alongside the Copenhagen supporters chanted ‘there’s only Bobby Charlton’ shortly before kick-off, the Danes held their white scarves above their heads in a show of silent solidarity.
They were equally respectful when a lone bagpiper emerged from the tunnel, followed solemnly by United manager Erik ten Hag, Charlton’s former teammate and fellow European Cup winner Alex Stepney, and Under-19s captain Dan Gore. Sir Bobby knew better than anyone the significance of United’s youth.
They laid a wreath in the center circle before referee Marco Guida’s whistle signaled the start of a perfectly observed minute’s silence.
Ten Hag once again paid tribute to Sir Bobby in a match program with a photo of the United icon on a black and white front cover.
Sir Bobby’s chair in the director’s box was left empty and a wreath was placed there instead
Both United and Copenhagen players observed a minute’s silence before kick-off
‘He is of course a loss for our club, but also for the entire sporting world. He was a great figure in the history of football,” Ten Hag wrote. ‘He will always be someone who represented the best of Manchester United.’
Look around the press room at Old Trafford and among the old billboard posters for newspaper columns by Best, Law and Nobby Stiles – reminders of a bygone era – is a fascinating photograph.
It’s about Charlton and his teammates being welcomed to Albert Square by thousands of fans after winning the European Cup at Wembley in ’68.
The open-top bus that transported the United players was little more than a minivan by today’s opulent standards. But that would have been more than enough for Sir Bobby. He was a man of the people and always will be.
