Sir Bobby Charlton: Career, Family, Stats and Net Worth

Sir Bobby Charlton is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He was probably the greatest Englishman to kick a ball and a pioneer in making Manchester United one of the most successful and popular clubs in world football.

His impact is clearly visible in the fact that not only is there a statue of him outside Old Trafford, but he was also the first footballer from England to win the Ballon D’or. A very amusing fact about Charlton is that he was only ever shown two yellow cards across his career spanning 24 years.

Sir Bobby Charlton’s Early Life

Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland, England in 1937. He began his footballing education at East Northumberland Schools, then moving on to Manchester United’s youth academy in 1953. It is said that his mother was initially apprehensive of him commiting to a football career, where success is so uncertain. To keep her word, he started an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer, till he went on to turn professional in October of 1954. He was a part of the ‘Busby Babes’, a homegrown team of young players built carefully by Manchester United for European domination under the tutelage of Matt Busby.

Sir Bobby Charlton’s Family

Charlton’s father worked as a coal miner. But, his family had a rich footballing heritage with several of his relatives on his mother’s side being professional footballers. However, it is said that his interest in football was fostered by his grandfather and his mother. Interestingly, his brother Jack, was also a professional footballer who played for Leeds United.

He would go on to reveal in his autobiography that he had a long running feud with his brother. However, it was Jack who presented him with his BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award on 14 December 2008.

Charlton married in 1961 and had two children and now grandchildren as well.

Sir Bobby Charlton’s Career

Club career

Charlton spent nearly his entire career with Manchester United and reaching a stage where he set nearly all of the records at the club, which were only broken decades later. Sir Bobby won the league thrice, the FA Cup once and the European Cup (now called UEFA Champions League) once with the Red Devils. He would go on to amass a total of 758 matches for United, a record which would stay until 2008 before Ryan Giggs moved past it. He also scored a club record 249 goals, which stood over 40 years till 2017, when it was broken by Wayne Rooney.

Charlton happened to be one of the few survivors of the Munich Air Tragedy in 1958, when a plane carrying the United squad crashed. 23 people, including eight Manchester United first team players died in the tragedy which rocked not only the club but also European football as a whole. Charlton was lucky to survive, leaving with a few cuts to the head and in shock. He was in hospital for a week and after that it took him nearly two months to return to competitive football. He was then only 20 but there was now an expectation that he would be one of the figures at the forefront of leading the club out of those trying times.

Charlton was one of the leading characters as United went back to the top of the English game, winning consecutive league titles in 1965 and 1967, having previously lifted the FA Cup in 1963. His real crowning moment however would come in 1968, when United lifted the European Cup, ten years on from the Munich Air Tragedy. Charlton captained the side and scored twice in the final. He left the club in 1973 and would go on to become the manager of Preston North End for the 1973–74 season. He changed his status to player-manager in the very next season. He next accepted a post as a director with Wigan Athletic, then became a member of Manchester United’s board.

International career

Sir Bobby Charlton was one of the crucial personalities in England’s only World Cup win ever, back in 1966. He scored 3 goals during the tournament. He made his debut for the Three Lions back in 1958. He was also a crucial part of England’s bronze winning team in Euro 1968. Charlton’s record for England is impeccable.

He retired early from international duty aged 32 but by then he had amassed a record 106 caps and 49 goals. His caps recorded was broken by Bobby Moore in 1973 and his goals record was broken by Wayne Rooney as recently as 2015. He continues to be one of the most successful and celebrated players ever in England.

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Sir Bobby Charlton’s Documentary

‘Sir Bobby Charlton: The First Gentleman of Football’ was a documentary released by the BBC about Charlton in 2023. There was another called ‘Sir Bobby Charlton’ at 80 released in 2017.

Sir Bobby Charlton’s Death

On 21 October 2023, at the age of 86, Sir Bobby Charlton passed away from complications of a fall he sustained at the nursing home where he resided.

Sir Bobby Charlton’s Net Worth

Sir Bobby Charlton had a net worth of $25 million, as per celebritynetworth.com .