Tributes have flooded in for one of the most influential men in football history, whose actions defined an era for England and United.
Sir Alex Ferguson penned a moving 1,000-word eulogy for Charlton in the matchday program for today.
His words form part of a 28-page special in United’s matchday magazine with a picture of Charlton as a smiling young United player on the cover.
In it, he wrote: ‘It’s no surprise to me that we’ve seen tributes to Sir Bobby from everywhere in the world, on every TV channel and in every newspaper, because he was without question the greatest English player of all time.
‘People loved him because of all those thunderbolt goals but it was more than that. My dad used to say that humility in success is a sign of greatness, and that was Bobby. He never used to boast about his own achievements; it was always about the team and the club.’
Many members of the footballing world have posted tributes to Charlton online.
David Beckham wrote: ‘It all began with Sir Bobby. Sir Bobby was the reason I had the opportunity to play for Manchester United.
‘I will be forever grateful to a man I was named after, someone I looked up to and was a hero to many around the world not just in Manchester and our country where he won the World Cup in 1966,’ Beckham posted on Instagram.
‘A true gentleman, family man and truly a national hero… Today isn’t just a sad day for Manchester United & England it’s a sad day for football and everything that Sir Bobby represented.’
Sir Geoff Hurst, who played in the 1966 World Cup final with Charlton, wrote: ‘We will never forget him & nor will all of football.’
