Bobby Charlton a red and white No.9 Manchester United shirt, 1967-71

Bobby Charlton a red and white No.9 Manchester United long-sleeved shirt, 1967-71, with crew-neck collar, badly faded, missing collar label, collar holed, right sleeve lower cuff missing, further holes, number and other cuff.

The shirt was given to the vendor by the laundry lady as a match worn shirt. 

SIR BOBBY CHARLTON FOOTBALL SHIRT: THE STORY

In the summer of 1970, and just after the World Cup, my mother left my father. I was 9 years old.

My dad was left with my temporary care and within a day or two I was packed off to stay with my Godfather and his wife. It was not a happy time.

I was football mad and, like many 9-year-olds in those days, and despite living in Birmingham, I was seduced in to supporting Manchester United – Best, Law and Charlton and all that.

In the summer of 1970, there was an international football festival taking place in Manchester and I was desperate to get to go. I pestered my dad almost daily (he did come to see me) and he promised that we would go. Not uncharacteristically, he arranged a series of dates and then let me down at the last minute. I was losing hope.

Then, on the 3rd of August he turned up to announce that we were going to Manchester and to the exhibition. A road trip to Manchester from Birmingham was not an inconsiderable journey in those days.

We arrived in Manchester to the Town Hall, my excitement building, only to learn that the exhibition had finished the day before. I was naturally heart-broken. It was also pouring down with rain.

The next thing I can remember was my dad making a very animated phone-call in a phone-box.

He then returned to the car and in silence drove me to Old Trafford where he triumphantly announced that we were being given a tour of the stadium.

From worst dad in the world to super-dad in just a few minutes.

We were met by Les Olive, the Club secretary, and we were then given a personal tour of the whole stadium – the dressing rooms, the pitch, the board-room, the Stretford End…….and the club launderette.

In those days shirts were obviously washed and re-used, rather than swopped, and one of the ladies took kindly to me and gave me a shirt that she said was actually worn by Bobby Charlton. The right cuff is missing so presumably it was on the pile of shirts that could not be used again. It is the number 9 shirt, the number he wore between 1967/68 and 1971/72.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, as we were leaving Old Trafford, we bumped into Sir Matt Busby who chatted and gave me his autograph**. It capped off a memorable day.