‘Thought he was dead’ – Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton was knocked out in the middle of training session
Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes have recalled the time Sir Bobby Charlton was ‘completely floored’ during training.
The late, great Charlton, who sadly passed away in October 2023, is one of the club’s most iconic players – scoring 249 goals in 758 matches.
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Despite playing his last United match in 1973, the former attacker was still on hand to join in with training years later.
He did so with some of the Class of ’92, including Butt and Scholes, although one session didn’t quite go according to plan for Charlton.
Speaking on the Football’s Greatest Eras podcast, Butt said: “He trained a few times [with us].
“I remember the time he got knocked out, I thought he was dead.
“I remember the volley, ‘Choccy’ [Brian McClair] has had a volley, a full-on volley from five yards, flush on his head, completely floored Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived the Munich air disaster [February 1958].
“He survived all this stuff, but nearly got killed off by a Brian McClair volley.”
Butt added: “You can say it now because you know what Sir Bobby was like, he’d be laughing with us if he was still here.
“But no, to have people like Sir Bobby and Mick Hucknall [Simply Red lead singer] doing warm-ups with us.
“When you look back on it, it’s weird that happened, surreal really.”
When offering further insight into Charlton’s appearances in United training, Butt made it clear that class was permanent with the icon.
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“Even though he was, what, at the time he would’ve been 62 or something I reckon roughly, early 60’s, his touch and stuff was brilliant,” he explained.
“You’re thinking, ‘A 60-odd-year-old man could still do that with elite footballers,’ it’s like, ‘Wow.'”
Butt then revealed another story that suggests Charlton was also skilled off the pitch, this time with his golf clubs.
He remarked: “I remember even late, he must’ve been 68, I retired. I used to play golf at Mere, you used to play golf there.
“He said to me, ‘Do you mind playing golf with us? We’ve got one short.’
“I was thinking, ‘Oh for God’s sake, I’ve to go play golf.’ I was 37 and I’m playing golf with like three 65-year-olds and I thought, ‘I need to get a job.’
“But I remember him hitting the ball on the first drive and he outdrove me by about 30 yards, he loved his golf, God bless him.”
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