Thousands of fans gathered at Old Trafford to say goodbye to Charlton on Monday as the funeral cortege made its way to the cathedral. At the funeral ceremony, former United chief executive David Gill spoke along with John Shiels from the Manchester United Foundation, as well as Charlton’s grandson William Balderston.
After the service, United’s iconic former boss Sir Alex Ferguson gave a heartwarming tribute to Charlton and revealed he had he joined the club back in 1987 because of him.
“He was a fantastic man. I was at United because of Bobby Charlton, no question about that,” said Ferguson. “From the day I came, he supported me 100 per cent, all the way. 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.”