Robert Charlton · England
Photo : CC0 — ANEFO (Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons)
Charlton survived the Munich air disaster in 1958, in which eight of his teammates died, and went on to win the World Cup with England in 1966 and the European Cup with Manchester United in 1968 — the club’s first, ten years after the crash that had destroyed the team.
He scored 199 league goals for United and held the club’s overall scoring record for almost half a century until Rooney passed it in 2017; his 49 for England stood until Rooney again in 2015. He struck the ball from distance harder and more accurately than anyone of his generation, and the two goals against Portugal in the 1966 semi-final are the standard example.
He was knighted in 1994 and served as a United director for decades after retiring. He died in October 2023 at eighty-six, having been diagnosed with dementia — one of several members of the 1966 squad whose later illness pushed the sport into examining the effects of heading the ball.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–1973 | Manchester United | 606 | 199 |
| 1974–1975 | Preston North End | 38 | 8 |
| 1976 | Waterford | 3 | 1 |
| 1978 | Newcastle KB United | 1 | |
| 1980 | Perth Azzurri | 3 | 2 |
| 1980 | Blacktown City | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 652 | 211 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–1970 | England | 106 | 49 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.