Wembley crowd pays tribute to Charlton

LONDON: England fans paid their respects to the late Bobby Charlton at Wembley Stadium before the Euro 2024 qualifier with Malta on Friday (Nov 17), four days after the funeral of one of the country's greatest players.

Former England teammate Geoff Hurst, scorer of a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final, introduced a montage of Charlton's best moments after the stadium darkened.

Thousands of mobile phones were held aloft in the darkness while a minute of applause was held just before kickoff as fans held aloft red and white cards spelling out "SIR BOBBY".

It was the first England game since England and Manchester United great Charlton died on Oct 21 at the age of 86.

Charlton earned 106 caps for his country and scored 49 goals and was a key part of the 1966 side of which Hurst is now the only surviving member.

The forward played 758 games for United and scored 249 goals during 17 years at Old Trafford, winning three league titles and the 1968 European Cup.

Current England manager Gareth Southgate described Charlton as an undisputed legend.

Thousands of fans lined the streets of Manchester on Monday to applaud Charlton's funeral cortege.