Sir Bobby Charlton's last surviving brother spoke about the last conversation he had with the Manchester United legend prior to his funeral on Monday (November 13).
Tommy Charlton, 77, is the youngest of the brothers, including Jack and Gordon Charlton, as he led the tributes for Sir Bobby who had his memorial service at Manchester Cathedral. Thousands of people lined the streets to pay their tributes to the Manchester United legend.
He recalled the last conversation he had with his older brother during an interview with the BBC: "We used to phone Norma, his wife, who was a saint, and Norma would put him on and I'd have a chat with him," he said. "He was suffering from dementia then. I phoned this time and Norma put him on and he broke down and he was crying and I was crying.
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"Between me and Norma, we decided it wasn't a good idea to put him on and that was the last time I spoke to him." The 1966 World Cup winner tragically passed away last month at the age of 86 after an accidental fall at the care home he was living in. His death was met by tributes from across the globe who displayed their sadness at the loss of one of football's greatest-ever talents.
The 77-year-old simply coined Sir Bobby as "an icon to me but he was my big brother". He added: "He was my big brother. My fondest memories are when he was my brother."
"You'd meet him at the game and Bob would straighten your tie, and make sure your jacket was right and say you should have worn a different colour shirt. That was being a brother and I loved that." His funeral was attended by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, former United team-mate Alex Stepney and his wife of 62 years, Lady Norma Ball.
Manchester United – the club Sir Bobby spent 17 years of his professional career with – said that his memorial service would provide a "moment of reflection" and allow fans the chance "to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend".
Among those who had kind words to say about Sir Bobby was FA president Prince William who called him: "A true great who will be remembered forever". He added: "Sir Bobby Charlton. First Division Champion. European Champion. World Champion. Gentleman. Legend. A true great who will be remembered forever. Thank you Sir Bobby. W."
The funeral was attended by representatives from every Premier League club as well as every living Man United captain in the last opportunity to say goodbye to a bastion of greatness in English football.
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