He shoots. He scores

06/10/2008

 It was in Russia in 1971 that my wife suddenly understood what the phenomenon we know as football is all about. People would walk up to her in the street and shake her hand and say the two words they knew in English: “Bobby Charlton”.

 

It’s 33 years since he hung up his boots. 40 years since he captained Manchester United to victory in the European Cup. And 50 years since that terrible night in Munich. But, for most of us, the most important date in Sir Bobby’s life is 1966. The year that, in his words, “We proved that we were the best in the world.

 

“I remember coming off the pitch and saying to my brother that life would never be the same again. And I was right.”

 

It’s amazing that over 40 years and countless retellings later he still has such strong emotion in his voice when he says that. But Sir Bobby is someone who has never stopped being amazed, and grateful, for the opportunities that football gave him. He still talks with surprise of being talent spotted at the age of just 15, and the fact that the thing he loved doing most in all the world was to make him a living - and a household name.

 

Looking back at his pedigree, perhaps it’s not surprising that he was such a talented player: four of his uncles on the Milburn side were professional footballers, while his mother’s cousin was the legendary Jackie Milburn. His mother Cissie was his first ‘coach’!

 

Sir Bobby still holds the goalscoring record for his club and country – despite nominally playing midfield. In fact many of his greatest goals were scored from midfield: guided missiles from well outside the penalty area that were billowing the net before the goalkeeper could move. “I’d have loved to have played on today’s pitches and with the modern ball,” he says. “I could have bent it as well.”  It’s probably just as well he isn’t playing today - health and safety rules might have prevented him from shooting.

 

It’s that modesty, enthusiasm and sense of perspective that still make him one of our greatest living Englishmen – along with a sportsmanship that was inspirational to see. He competed with some of the toughest defenders in the world, at a time when players had a fraction of the protection they enjoy today, yet always he retained his temper and dignity. He tells me with regret how some modern players spoil the game by constantly contesting decisions with the referee. It’s an aspect of our game that has diminished it, at a time when, in monetary terms, it has never been wealthier.

 

Our interview then moves onto his exceptional fitness: the reason he is currently fronting the hugely entertaining new TV advertisement from Actimel. If you haven’t seen it, a bunch of young boys are playing football in the park when the ball falls at the feet of someone walking his dog. “Hey granddad, can we have our ball back,  please?” calls out one of them.  Like many an international in years gone by, the young goalkeeper then sees the ball fly past him. “I  really enjoyed making that,” Sir Bobby recalls. “And yes, it was my shot going in – they filmed it 12 times - even though I was only wearing shoes!”

 

As he explains, fitness is still a major part of his life. “I was very lucky in my career. No real injuries to talk about. I gave up smoking at 29 – well I started at 19 when I was doing my National Service, but one day my daughter hid my cigarettes – and I have always felt better for that.

 

“And I still enjoy really good health. I don’t run any more, but I do plenty of walking and I still play golf [his handicap is an impressive 11] and do everything in moderation. And yes, I do drink the Actimel. I think it’s very good!”

 

Retirement for Sir Bobby is hardly on the horizon. “I still do a lot of work in and around Manchester United and for some charities,” he says. He was also a key figure in winning the 2012 Olympics bid, so expect to see him as a figurehead in four years’ time. So does he get chance to inspire the new generation of players at United? I pop along to the training ground now and again, but I don’t interfere,”  he says. “It’s great to watch. The players these days are so much fitter.

 

“They don’t need me getting involved – they’ve got a brilliant manager. Sir Alec keeps everyone on their toes.” It must, though, be tempting at those training sessions, to kick the ball back when it rolls his way!

 

So how does he explain the enduring popularity of football as the world game? “I suppose because it’s a game that everyone who watches wishes they were playing,” he says. And that just about sums it up. 

 

Hard to understand for some people I know, but when your hero rises to plant the ball in the net, or thumps it in from 30 yards out, it’s you doing that. It’s the big kid in us that, hopefully, will never grow up.

 

My interview time is rapidly drawing to a close, but first the one question I’ve been holding in reserve. Having played against the best players in the world over a 20-year career, who were the best three?  This causes him some problems. “There are just so many. But three? 

 

Well Pele for his intelligence. And Puskas – he scored very nearly a goal a game for Hungary. And last? Di Stefano. Wonderful player.” I’m sure all three would have returned the compliment.

 

And that’s it. Another interview sadly over.  But it has proven once  again to me that the people who have achieved the most in life are usually the ones who wear it lightest.