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Sir Bobby Charlton: The Autobiography: My Manchester United Years

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 208 ratings · 17 reviews
Bobby Charlton is Manchester United through and through. One of the original Busby Babes; he has devoted his career to the club, playing in 754 games over 17 years, and winning everything the game had to offer. He played alongside some of the greats such as Best and Law, suffered devastating defeats and was involved in one of the greatest soccer tragedies of all time. Here ...more
Paperback , 437 pages
Published May 29th 2008 by Headline Book Publishing (first published January 1st 2007)
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Silvana
17 January 2006. Man Utd cafe, Jakarta.

Sir Bobby Charlton: "Don't you have a camera?"
Me: *stammering* "Er....I have it somewhere...." (searching in panic for my friend who had the bloody cam but nowhere to be seen)
*picture finally taken, thanks to another friend who used his cell phone*
Me: "thanks a lot Sir, an honor to meet you...."
*hurriedly ushered away by the super paranoid/inflexible security officer*
*but….shaking with joy*

Photobucket

That's my once in a lifetime experience meeting with this legend. I
...more
Pete daPixie
My very earliest Manchester United memories go back into the mists of my time. Holding onto my father's hand being led through the crowds at Old Trafford. Passing the Munich memorial, smelling the liniment. Through the spine of the side I first watched, were the survivors from the '58 team.
Harry Gregg in goal. Shay Brennan at full back. Billy Foulkes in central defence. Dennis Viollet in attack, and Bobby Charlton playing on the wing. Through the decade of the sixties, through my early teen year
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F.G. Cottam
Very hard for a lifelong Liverpool fan to give this five stars but the book deserves it for its insights, honesty and for documenting so vividly the apprenticeship and career of a truly great footballer. Nothing like the cliched, anodyne rubbish that is usually served up as footballing autobiography.
Shonaigh Mudie
Sir Bobby Charlton, it is his autobiography (which he does in two parts, one United and one England). It was a long awaited release. He goes back through his life, childhood, playing for United and speaks about modern day United and his love of a certain Paul Scholes in particular. It was such an incredible read and interesting to get a personal account of the man who seen it all in the brilliant and devastating times of Manchester United. The part about Munich is incredibly sad. Every United an ...more
Graham
Great book, written by one of the true gentlemen of the game. Sir Bobby talks honestly about his life in football both as a player, manager and director - from the high points of the 1966 World Cup victory and the 1968 European Cup win over Benfica (in which he scored twice) - to the horrifying tragedy of the Munich air disaster of 1958, and the real sadness you sense when Sir Bobby talks about the demise of his friend, George Best.

I found this book a little jumpy at times in terms of dates (in
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Adam Cave
Nice recount of his club years; gripping re telling of Munich, you can see how it shaped him. Football was better then. Purer. Simpler.
sam cerw
No wonder Sir Bobby is a football "ambassador". He's got well honed political skills after serving on the United board for over a quarter of a century and representing English football on the biggest stages. Therefore, this book is a very "diplimatic" account of life at Old Trafford. The only time he opens up is to defend his wife's honour after comments made in another book by his older brother Jack. That sequence and his vivid and poignant account of the aftermath of the Munich disaster saves ...more
Pálma
Mindegy, hogy szereted-e a labdarúgást vagy a Manchester Unitedot a bevezető és az, ahogyan a müncheni tragédiáról ír ezen a néhány oldalon át nagyon hatásos. Teljesen egyetértek avval az állítással, ami a könyv hátulján olvasható: "They are the most powerful pages ever written in a football book."
Egy jól megírt bevezető. Ennyi kellett ahhoz, hogy felejthetetlenné váljon ez a könyv.
Tony
A fantastic football biog in which one of the game's great gentlemen tries to make sense of his survival from the Munich air disaster and uses a natural footballing ability, augmented by hard graft and the outstanding coaching of the legendary Jimmy Murphy, to rebuild Manchester United for The Old Man, Sir Matt Busby. Even Man U-detractors (like me) will like this book.
Bill
For anyone who grew up in the sixties glory days of English football this is an essential read. Bobby Charlton is still agreat ambassador for the game and remains one of only two English players to have won a European Cup and World Cup winners medal.

The passages about the Munich air crash are very poignant and excellently written.
Marzena
A must read for any United supporter. Sir Bobby is a person inseparably connected with this club, a legend and one of the best footballers playing for the Red Devils. His autobiopgraphy is a great inside view of the club's matters and history. Very modest, very honest and with a light humour is a read any football fan can enjoy.
Mrinal Somani
A great read! Epitomizes the spirit of football itself. Sir Bobby Charlton is a great example of a player who ensured the game always stood at the top, not a person. Salute to one of the greats, and the Busby years. Enchanting book, one for anybody who has ever watched, played or discussed football.
Victor Caamaño
Great insight into a footballer's life, particularly a legend who worked with other legends. Definitely for the football fan, even more so a Man United fan. Well written sports book.
Bilal
Can someone help me,how do I read it
Coz I can't find the read button
I just downloaded this app so I don't know much
Sam Jones
One of the best football books I have read. Charlton's account of the Munich tragedy is very moving.
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Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won the World Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot.

He began to play for
...more
More about Bobby Charlton...
My England Years: The Autobiography The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United: All New: The Full Story and Complete Record 1878-2006 My Life in Football Bobby Charlton's Most Memorable Matches My Soccer Life

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“In the sweep of its appeal, its ability to touch every corner of humanity, football is the only game that needed to be invented.” 7 likes
“The eccentric passion of Shankly was underlined for me by my England team-mate Roger Hunt's version of the classic tale of the Liverpool manager's pre-game talk before playing Manchester United. The story has probably been told a thousand times in and out of football, and each time you hear it there are different details, but when Roger told it the occasion was still fresh in his mind and I've always believed it to be the definitive account. It was later on the same day, as Roger and I travelled together to report for England duty, after we had played our bruising match at Anfield. Ian St John had scored the winner, then squared up to Denis Law, with Nobby finally sealing the mood of the afternoon by giving the Kop the 'V' sign. After settling down in our railway carriage, Roger said, 'You may have lost today, but you would have been pleased with yourself before the game. Shanks mentioned you in the team talk. When he says anything positive about the opposition, normally he never singles out players.' According to Roger, Shankly burst into the dressing room in his usual aggressive style and said, 'We're playing Manchester United this afternoon, and really it's an insult that we have to let them on to our field because we are superior to them in every department, but they are in the league so I suppose we have to play them. In goal Dunne is hopeless- he never knows where he is going. At right back Brennan is a straw- any wind will blow him over. Foulkes the centre half kicks the ball anywhere. On the left Tony Dunne is fast but he only has one foot. Crerand couldn't beat a tortoise. It's true David Herd has got a fantastic shot, but if Ronnie Yeats can point him in the right direction he's likely to score for us. So there you are, Manchester United, useless...'
Apparently it was at this point the Liverpool winger Ian Callaghan, who was never known to whisper a single word on such occasions, asked, 'What about Best, Law and Charlton, boss?'
Shankly paused, narrowed his eyes, and said, 'What are you saying to me, Callaghan? I hope you're not saying we cannot play three men.”
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