Sir Alex Ferguson pays tribute to 'fantastic man' Sir Bobby Charlton at funeral of England and Manchester United legend

ByLewis Mason

Updated 13/11/2023 at 19:42 GMT

The funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton took place at Manchester Cathedral following his death at the age of 86 in October. Crowds lined the streets to pay respect to England's 1966 World Cup winner as the cortege made its way from Old Trafford - where a sign saying 'Forever Loved' was written on the outside of the stadium. Gareth Southgate and The Prince of Wales were in attendance at the funeral.

Sir Alex Ferguson remembered Sir Bobby Charlton as a “fantastic man” at the funeral of the Manchester United and England legend.

Crowds lined the streets as the cortege followed a route from Old Trafford to Manchester Cathedral - where more than 1,000 people attended a private service.

1966 World Cup winner Charlton died at the age of 86 in October.

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Former United players including Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs were in attendance, alongside Ferguson, who paid tribute to Charlton following the funeral.

“He was a fantastic man," Ferguson said.

“I was at United because of Bobby Charlton, no question about that. From the day I came, he supported me 100%, all the way.

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“He was totally behind me in everything we tried to do in terms of youth and, as I said, I was there because of Bobby.”

Former Manchester United chief executive David Gill read the first eulogy of the service, with Charlton’s grandson William Balderston also speaking.

Opera singer Russell Watson led a musical tribute with How Great Thou Art.

Reflecting on the service, Ferguson said “It was very sombre. There was a wonderful tribute from his grandson. I thought it was fantastic. It's not easy to get up there and speak, and the speakers did a great job.”

Crowds lined the route of Sir Bobby Charlton's funeral procession

Image credit: Getty Images

Also in attendance were current United players including Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, while England manager Gareth Southgate was there to pay his respects.

The Prince of Wales, who is president of the Football Association, was also present.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag did not attend, due to what the club say was an 'unbreakable and long-standing personal commitment in the Netherlands.'

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