It was a simple tribute: a single black, white and red scarf tied around the neck of Sir Bobby Charlton’s statue at Old Trafford.
Of the thousands of fans who lined the apron of the stadium to pay their respects as Charlton’s funeral cortege drove past, one had climbed the 20-feet high bronze and marble United Trinity sculpture of George Best, Denis Law and Charlton to adorn the latter with club colours.
United marked the final journey of one of the club’s all-time greats with numerous black and white photographs depicting Charlton’s long and illustrious career as a player and a director and even his work with the Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools, an initiative which ran for nearly 45 years and helped discover David Beckham.
High on the glass wall of the East Stand were two huge black and white photographs – one of Charlton in his Busby Babes playing days and the other of him as the club’s elder statesman – either side of the words ‘Sir Bobby Charlton, 1937-2023. Forever Loved’. Above it Premier League and club flags flew at half-mast.
The crowd began to swell after 1pm and it ranged from mothers with prams to teenagers to those who would actually have seen Charlton play live in his pomp.
There were tourists with suitcases either coming to or leaving Manchester – Mancunians and Scandinavians coming together to pay their respects.
One elderly man, front and centre at the Trinity statue, proudly sang the old songs celebrating Charlton, Best and Law and the Busby Babes. While his was a lone voice, his efforts were reciprocated with a gentle round of clapping from those nearby.
Another man took it upon himself to reverentially wipe down the huge marble base of the statue by sculptor Philip Jackson where a wreath in club colours had been placed.
As the 1.30pm arrival time approached, representatives from United’s under-18 and under-21 teams formed a guard of honour flanking the Trinity statue and, after what had been a bright and clear morning, the first spots if rain started to fall as the cortege approached.
When it arrived at Old Trafford a quiet ripple of applause broke out and it rolled down both sides of the crowd, three or four deep behind the barriers, and got louder as the hearse carrying Charlton made its way slowly past the statue.
As it headed for the exit on Sir Matt Busby Way, named after Charlton’s manager of the 1950s and 60s, many of the crowd followed it out as best they could before it took a right turn and headed for Manchester Cathedral in the city.
There, the Prince of Wales, who is the president of the Football Association, Sir Alex Ferguson and England manager Gareth Southgate joined some of Charlton’s former team-mates as well as current and ex-United players to remember one of the game’s all-time greats.
Messi 'will be our No.10 in 2026', hopes Inter Miami chief Mas
Inter Miami fully expect Lionel Messi to remain at the club beyond his current contract ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
Those were the words of Miami's club managing owner, Jorge Mas, who was speaking to the media following Gerardo Martino's resignation earlier on Friday.
Messi joined the MLS side in July 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, leading the Herons to the Supporters' Shield and Leagues Cup during his time in the United States so far.
His current deal is due to expire at the end of next year, though Mas made clear his desire to see Messi remain with the Herons at Miami Freedom Park, the club's new stadium that will open in 2026.
"He’s under contract through 2025. Leo and I will sit, and we’ll discuss the future,” Mas said.
“As I’ve said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 in Miami and the opening of our 2026 season, hopefully after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Lionel Messi will be our No. 10.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Man United could be without Toone until Christmas, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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