The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 298 Charlton is knighted

"No one embodies the values ​​of Manchester United better than Bobby Charlton, and no one is more suitable to represent English football than him. He is not only a great player, the core of England's World Cup victory, the hero of the Red Devils' Champions League victory, and a world-renowned football star, but also a hero with noble character and a giant with noble spirit, respected by the entire English football community."

--Inscription

In June 1994, the weather in Manchester was hot, but the sultry air could not cover up the boiling joy in the Manchester United base. The Manchester United club had a special piece of good news at this time. In recognition of the great contribution made by Manchester United legendary player Bobby Charlton to British football, Queen Elizabeth II of England awarded him the title of Sir "KB" on top of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) he had already been awarded.

The system of honors conferred by the royal family of England is very complicated. In addition to the honors and titles conferred on the bloodline of the royal family, the Order of the British Empire (or translated as the Order of the British Empire) series is generally used. This is a kind of knighthood medal awarded by the United Kingdom. It is specifically divided into two categories: civil and military, and it recognizes people who have made irreplaceable contributions. There are 5 levels of medals: Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE for both men and women), Knight/Dame Commander (KBE for men and DBE for women), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The English royal title stipulates that only those who have won the top two honors can be considered to have obtained the title of knighthood, and the title of "Sir/Dame" can be added before their names.

The title of Knight Bachelor awarded to Charlton by the English royal family is not the above-mentioned knighthood medal, but a title established by the English royal family specifically for people with special contributions, and the recipients are allowed to use the title of "Sir".

This is a huge honor for Bobby Charlton and the Red Devils. It is very rare to receive a royal honor in English football, and it is even rarer to be awarded the honor of "KB" Sir. This honor is not only a recognition of Charlton, but also a recognition of the Red Devils club.

Bobby Charlton was born on October 1937, 10 in Ashington, Northumberland, England. His family is a football family. Charlton's father is not very famous, but his uncle Jack Milburn is a legendary contributor to Newcastle United, and his brother is also an outstanding star. Charlton fell in love with this sport in the strong football atmosphere of his family since he was a child, and showed his extraordinary talent early on. He joined the Ashington Football Club youth team at the age of 11, became a member of the Manchester Football Club youth team at the age of 9, and was selected for the England student team at the age of 12.

The talented Bobby Charlton attracted the attention of Manchester United scout Joe Armstrong, who offered twice the price of other clubs to bring him in. Charlton's uncle Jack Milburn strongly suggested that his nephew join Newcastle, but Bobby Charlton ignored him. Many years later, Charlton said: "I have been a fan of Manchester United since I was a child. I just want to play for the team I like."

And so, in January 1953, Bobby Charlton officially became a member of the Red Devils.

The Red Devils were coached by Busby, who attached great importance to youth training. The precocious Charlton thrived here. More than a year later, on October 1954, 10, Bobby Charlton got his first professional contract, when he was just 13 years old. During this period, Charlton made rapid progress as a main player of the Red Devils youth team. He became the team's invincible sharp knife and won three England Youth FA Cups in 17, 1954 and 1955 with his teammates.

Charlton just caught up with the Red Devils' youth storm. He didn't have the opportunity to play for the first team until October 1956, 10. In this game against Charlton, Charlton scored twice and shone throughout the game, helping the team win 6-4. Although he was at the peak of his career, Charlton sprained his ankle during the game. After returning from injury, Charlton gained a solid position in the second half of the season, scoring a total of 2 goals in the season and helping the team win the league championship.

The Red Devils won the fifth league title in history. The youth storm of the "Busby Babes" swept across the British Isles, and Charlton became a shining new star. The stars of the young Red Devils were extremely dazzling. At the age of 16 and 185 days, Duncan Edwards took to the field and became the youngest player in the history of the English League One. By February 1954, the 2-year-old Roger Byrne had become the captain and a superstar pursued by the whole of England. Led by Roger Byrne, Jackie Blanchett Fowler, Tommy Taylor, Ray Wood, Dennis Viollet, Duncan Edwards, Bill Fox... a lot of Red Devils geniuses collectively broke out. Compared with the youth and publicity of his teammates, Charlton was more introverted and low-key, but still gained the trust of the coaching team. Busby admired Charlton's stability and sharpness very much, and made him the starting main striker. Charlton helped the Red Devils improve their attacking power, helping the team to defeat all the giants along the way, setting a league record of 23 points (64 points per win) and 2 goals in a single season.

The Busby Babes were flamboyant and passionate, and they conquered the English arena with their youth. Charles was only 19 years old at the time, and it was the beginning of his career.

随后的事大家都知道了，1958年2月6日红魔遭遇了惨痛的“慕尼黑空难”，23人罹难，包括8名红魔球员3名职员和8名随队记者。

Charlton was seriously injured in the plane crash, but was eventually rescued and luckily survived. This serious disaster dealt a devastating blow to Charlton. He was haunted by nightmares and almost lost all his hair in just a few weeks. He felt fear and sadness all the time. Grief and guilt almost destroyed him.

In the most difficult time, Manchester United interim coach Murphy came to comfort him and finally helped him get out of his inner demons and return to football. After Charlton mustered up the courage to return to Manchester United, he, Busby and Greg went to the grave of his teammates and solemnly swore to turn grief into strength and complete the unfinished business of the deceased.

Charlton became the banner of Busby's reconstruction of the Red Devils, and became the captain of the team, leading the new generation of the Red Devils to fight for their goals. In May 1963, the Red Devils won the FA Cup. In the 5-1963 season, the Red Devils won the league runner-up. In 64, Charlton led the England national team to win the World Cup, won the World Cup Best Player and European Footballer of the Year, and won the Golden Ball. In the 1966-1966 season, the Red Devils won the league championship and officially stood on the throne of England. In the 67-1967 season, Charlton followed the Red Devils all the way and bravely entered the European Cup final. In the much-anticipated final, Charlton fought bravely, performed well, and led the team to play in style. Charlton shone throughout the game. He scored two goals with his head and feet, helping the Red Devils to defeat their opponents 1968-4 after an extra-time battle and win the European Cup!

The Red Devils won the European Championship, and the whole team celebrated with joy. Bobby Charlton felt great pain in his immense joy, and he cried for a long time. Charlton held up the trophy and called out the names of his former teammates to the sky, over and over again, his face full of tears, with a mixture of sadness and relief.

It has been 10 years since the plane crash. The survivors of that time have persisted with great strength until this moment. Through tremendous efforts, they have finally fulfilled their vows and achieved their most entangled wishes.

After winning the European Cup, Charlton had no regrets, and he had almost exhausted all his energy. On April 1973, 4, he played against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the last time for the Red Devils. After that, he stayed briefly at Preston, Watford and Wigan before officially announcing the end of his career.

Charlton returned to the Red Devils and has been a director of the club since June 1984. From the time he joined the Red Devils to his retirement, Charlton played for the Red Devils for 6 years, played 20 games for the Red Devils, scored 758 goals, and helped the team win three league titles, one FA Cup and one European Cup. He is a legendary star who won the two important championships of the European Cup and the World Cup in the history of the Red Devils, and is also one of the few Golden Ball Awards for the Red Devils. Charlton created the first real peak in the history of the Red Devils. The European championship allowed the Red Devils to truly break into the hall of super giants in the world football.

Charlton played 106 games for England in his career, scoring 49 goals and leading England to win the 1966 World Cup. This World Cup title is the only one in England's history, and Charlton's contribution cannot be overstated.

Charlton showed noble and courageous character and a positive and enterprising spirit, and was admired and worshipped by many players and fans. Charlton was hit by the plane crash, suffered mental trauma and serious physical injuries, but he finally overcame himself, regained his courage, continued to fight, and won praise from all over the world with his outstanding performance. Charlton's unparalleled performance, strong courage and courageous spirit are all admirable. His fighting spirit and tenacious will to overcome the disaster, his skills, speed and awareness on the court, and his own elegance and charm have won widespread respect.

Compared with his football skills, Charlton is more respected for his personal cultivation. He is low-key, self-disciplined, introverted, but brave, positive and fearless, which makes his charm go beyond the field of football and win more respect. It is no exaggeration to say that Charlton is a nearly perfect "football gentleman". Although he has been at the top of football for 15 years, he has always maintained the virtues of being approachable, modest and polite. In the 1960s, the football world was generally rough, but Charlton would never use non-technical actions to offend others. Even if he was kicked down, he would not care. His "correct response" was to kick more balls into the opponent's goal. Charlton never put on a big shot at any time. He was always calm and polite, respectful to the referee and the opponent, never had a dispute with the opponent, never complained about his teammates, always set an example, worked hard and encouraged his teammates to play seriously and strive for victory. He was happy when his teammates scored, and he would comfort his teammates after they made mistakes. He always encouraged the whole team to continue to work hard and strive for victory with a positive and active attitude.

Charlton is a true footballer and an outstanding football star. He has greatly changed the image of English players as being rough and rude, and he deserves the title of "football gentleman".

The "gentleman" character is complemented by "loyalty". Charlton loved the Red Devils since he was a child and remained loyal to the team. He played for the Red Devils and only played for this club throughout his life. Even in the 60s, such loyalty was extremely rare in the football world.

Charlton is respectable, not only because of his ability and demeanor on the football field, not only because of his unwavering loyalty to the club, and not only because he brought the highest honor to English football. The most important reason is that his struggle in the face of disaster and his subsequent courage and strength, as well as his efforts and hard work to rebuild the team, proved how great the success that human beings can create through willpower can be. This spirit itself is a huge wealth.

In the summer of 1994, the Red Devils held a grand celebration for Charlton's awarding of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his outstanding contributions in 1969, and later won the title of Knight of the British Empire (CBE). This time he was awarded the title of knight, and the title of "Sir" could be added before his name. In this way, others would call him the honorific "Sir".

Charlton's honors do not stop there. On May 1999, 5, the International Sports Journalists Association selected him as one of the "Best Athletes of the Century", one of only four representatives in the field of football players (the other three are Beckenbauer, Pele, and Puskas). In the same year, Charlton was selected as one of the "Top Ten Football Players of the Century" by the International Association of Football History and Statistics, and his legendary achievements were once again praised.

Charlton often comes to the Theatre of Dreams to watch games and cares about the team's development. He is still one of the guardians of the Red Devils. Red Devils fans are actually very familiar with Bobby Charlton, and their respect for him has never diminished. They can always see the figure of the old Sir Alex Ferguson and often hear his voice. Whether watching the team's games at the stadium, meeting at club events, or accepting interviews from the media or fan groups, Charlton is always so kind and gentle.

As the patron saint of the club, Bobby Charlton has always been the best representative of the Red Devils.