Thousands to Line Route from Old Trafford to Manchester Cathedral for Sir Bobby Charlton's Funeral
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Thousands of mourners are expected to line the route from Old Trafford football stadium to Manchester cathedral on Monday afternoon for the funeral of “the gentle superstar” Sir Bobby Charlton. The beloved England football legend passed away last month at the age of 86, and hundreds of fans have already gathered outside Old Trafford football stadium to pay their respects. Up to 1,000 guests are expected at Manchester cathedral for the funeral, which will be led by Charlton’s wife, Norma, and their daughters, Suzanne and Andrea.
Jimmy Turner, 84, was one of the first supporters outside Old Trafford nearly two hours before the cortège was due to arrive. He said he was “devastated” by the death of his hero. Manchester United’s under-18s and under-21 academy teams will form a guard of honour for the funeral procession outside Old Trafford, where Charlton made his United first-team debut 67 years ago and is immortalised alongside Denis Law and George Best in the United Trinity statue.
Manchester City fans were also outside Old Trafford to pay their respects. Wendy Fisher, 63, wore a pink United hat as a disguise because she wanted to support her husband, Gordon Fisher, 73, who described Charlton as “my only hero”. Fisher said Charlton “epitomised Manchester United and what Manchester United has always been”, adding: “That’s probably shaped by his family up in Ashington and by the management by Matt Busby and by Munich [the air disaster].”
Bundles of flowers, scarves, shirts and messages have been left at the United Trinity statue since his death. The club say memorabilia has “been carefully relocated to the Old Trafford museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the passing of Sir Matt Busby in 1994”. The flowers will be composted and used in the gardens at United’s Carrington training ground, with the plastic from the tributes removed and recycled.
The funeral ceremony, beginning at 2pm, will be led by Canon Nigel Ashworth. Eulogies and tributes will be read by David Gill, the former Manchester United chief executive, and John Shiels, the former Manchester United Foundation chief executive, as well as a personal tribute from Charlton’s family. The opera singer, Russell Watson, will sing How Great Thou Art, while hymns will include Abide with Me by Henry Francis Lyte, Brother James’ Air by James Leith Macbeth Bain, and Jerusalem by William Blake.
Before the funeral Phil Neville, the former England and Manchester United defender, credited Charlton for instilling the values of the club into him and every United player. He said: “He was a survivor from the Munich disaster and that’s when the club was born. He taught every footballer that came in what it means to play for the club. He was a gentle superstar. He was my father’s hero and he became mine. It’s a sad day for me.”
Manchester United said the club would be represented at the funeral by Sir Alex Ferguson and “numerous club legends” from across the decades, including several of Charlton’s teammates from the club’s 1968 European Cup-winning team.
As thousands of mourners prepare to line the route from Old Trafford to Manchester cathedral for the funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton, fans around the world have been paying tribute to one of England’s greatest ever players. His legacy will live on, and his memory will be cherished by all who had the privilege of watching him play.
