Thousands Line Manchester Streets to Bid Final Farewell to Bobby Charlton

Thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester on Monday to pay their final respects to Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton, with Alex Ferguson and Prince William among the mourners. The hearse passed the famous “United Trinity” statue immortalising Charlton, Denis Law and George Best as members of the club’s under-18 and under-21 squads formed a guard of honour. “But Sir Bob wasn’t just a great player, he was a great person and had time for everybody.” Former teammate Alex Stepney said Charlton remained humble despite his success. “Bobby Charlton was a wonderful, humble man and I was at Manchester United because of Bobby Charlton.” Former England captain Gary Lineker said the service was “emotive and meaningful”, describing Charlton as “more than just a footballer in many ways”. “You could go anywhere in the world, even places where they didn’t speak English and they’d say one thing to you and that was ‘Bobby Charlton’ and that shows his fame but it also shows how much respect and love he has around the world.” Charlton was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team, alongside his late brother Jack.