Sir Bobby Charlton was the epitome of Manchester United, a man who gave absolutely everything for the club.
The club legend passed away this week, and was honoured in emotional scenes at Old Trafford last night ahead of Manchester United’s match with Copenhagen.
The games Sir Bobby Charlton performed in and won for Manchester United brought a smile to supporters fortunate enough to see him play, and in later years, he too took on the guise of fan.
There was one individual performance from a Manchester United player of the modern era which Charlton recalled particularly fondly.
Sir Bobby Charlton on Roy Keane
Sir Bobby Charlton highlighted Roy Keane‘s famous display in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Juventus in 1999 as the one which really stirred his emotion.
Charlton was a traditionally reserved character, who respected protocol, yet he admitted that while in Turin watching the game, he could not maintain any impartiality from his seat in the director’s box.
Roy Keane’s performance was a special one, with the Irishman inspiring the Red Devils to come from 2-0 down to win 3-2, while picking up a booking which later ruled him out of the final.
Charlton wrote in his autobiography, Sir Bobby Charlton: My Manchester United Years: “This unquestionably was the ultimate, defining performance of a great player and a great warrior.
“Unashamedly, Perhaps not in line with the most correct behaviour of the director’s box, I spent much of the match on my feet, deeply moved by the strength of Keane’s performance.
“I was standing up, saying to anyone who cared to listen, ‘We can win this now – it’s our game.’ It was a bold statement, even by someone who had always erred on the side of optimism, but my confidence flowed from the sense that Keane had not only lifted us but flattened Juventus.”
Sir Bobby Charlton was famously seen celebrating in Barcelona after Manchester United had scored two late goals against Bayern Munich to win the final 2-1.
It was United’s first triumph in the competition since he lifted the trophy in 1968, with the team going onto win a third in 2008.
Sir Bobby went on to name Roy Keane in his best Manchester United XI of all time, and this performance in 1999 might have been the one which secured his spot.
Manchester United’s very best
The likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Roy Keane are two of the finest midfielders of any era. Supporters have been blessed to see them both wear the Manchester United shirt.
The Manchester United of 2023 lack players with the same combination of spirit and talent, and to be fair, these once in a generation footballers and individuals are hard to find.
In the case of Charlton, there may never be a player who matches up to him. The best part of the Sir Alex Ferguson era is that for all the joy Charlton gave to the club and the fans, the reign of the legendary Scot was able to put the smile on his face and let him experience it as a supporter.
Charlton may be gone now, and United may be a long way from the peaks of ’68 and ’99, but we have to keep faith the club can rise again. Today’s players should study Keane’s performance in Turin and take some lessons.