The former Manchester United and England legend had won almost everything that is possible for a footballer on the pitch.
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Football fans were dealt with the saddening news of a decorated former player Sir Bobby Charlton passing away at the weekend. The former Manchester United and England legend had almost won everything that is possible for a footballer on the pitch. He was worshipped by the fan base long after he hung his boots. Hence, the sad news of him passing away last Saturday would have been a massive blow to his supporters.
Later that day, Manchester United travelled to Sheffield United for a Premier League contest. Tribute was paid to Sir Bobby Charlton at Bramall Lane by players, coaches and supporters ahead of the kick-off. United won the match 2-1, however, the interviews that followed the game largely centered around the passing away of the legend. Harry Maguire, who was one of the standout players on the pitch, spoke about Sir Bobby’s death.
“First and foremost, it’s a really sad day. We obviously found out this afternoon and, preparing for a game, it hit us hard. Sir Bobby came into the changing room a lot after games and lit the place up. You could see the aura he brought to the dressing room and the amount of respect that the lads, the staff and the club have for him. He’s an absolute legend of this club and a legend of football,” Maguire told Sky Sports.
He added: “We’re obviously delighted to win the game tonight but this is more than football and our thoughts go out to Sir Bobby’s family. He would always come into the changing room, to be fair to him, whether we had won or lost. It wasn’t one of them where he would just come in after we won games. But his presence was really felt within the dressing room. You always saw him around the club and he’s been a great ambassador for the club since he retired from football. We’ll miss him and of course the world will miss him. He was a great person and an amazing footballer but more importantly an amazing person.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag also paid his tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton. “We have to pay contribution. We have to pay, how I say, our big goodbye and remembering Bobby Charlton. What he did was magnificent. We said before the game about how he was not only outstanding on the pitch but also off the pitch. So [we wanted] to credit it and reward his big personality. We did it with a win to celebrate that but also especially to remember Bobby Charlton. I think we did it in a decent way,” he said after the match.
The manager added: “I heard [that] some players, they got inspiration from it. They wanted to win to mark it. It was an extra motivation, absolutely. We are very sad and our thoughts are with his family. Especially with Lady Norma, with his children, his grandchildren. With his passing, a legend, a giant, is passing away. His achievements are so immense and huge. Global. You see the facts that he achieved, it is incredible. His titles, trophies, his contributions. I had never had the honour to meet him, but I heard that despite all his trophies and games, he was so humble and a big personality. He was an example for all of us as a footballer and also society, globally.”
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