Sports
Bobby Charlton, The Manchester United And England Soccer Great, Dies At 86
MANCHESTER, England — Bobby Charlton, an English football legend instrumental in his country’s 1966 World Cup victory, was saved from a plane accident that destroyed a Manchester United squad destined for greatness. Charlton has since passed away. At the time, he was 86.
In a statement from Charlton’s family, United stated that he passed away on Saturday while in the company of his loved ones.
Charlton, an exceptionally talented midfielder with a ferocious strike, surpassed Wayne Rooney as the all-time leading scorer for over four decades for Manchester United (249 goals) and England (49 goals).
United stated, “Not only in Manchester or the United Kingdom, but wherever football is played in the world, Sir Bobby was a hero to millions.”
“In addition to his exceptional football prowess, his sportsmanship and integrity garnered enormous admiration; Sir Bobby will perpetually be commemorated as a footballing titan.”
Before Charlton’s passing, Alex Ferguson, United’s manager from 1986 to 2013, proclaimed him “the greatest Manchester United player of all time,” which is a statement that goes without stating.
“Bobby Charlton is without any comparison in the annals of English football history,” stated Ferguson.
Additionally, Charlton was esteemed for his modesty, self-control, and fair play. He was never dismissed in 758 appearances for United between 1956 and 1973 and 106 internationals for England between 1958 and 1970.
Charlton, along with George Best and Denis Law, was a member of the renowned “Trinity” that guided Manchester United to the 1968 European Cup following their survival of the 1958 Munich accident that claimed the lives of the renowned “Busby Babes” squad. At United, he won three English league championships and one FA Cup.
“He displayed an unprecedented blend of grace, strength, and accuracy for a footballer,” said Bill Foulkes, a former United defender and fellow survivor of the Munich air disaster.
“What ensued was not only greatness but also an additional quality that I can only describe as beauty.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarded Charlton as a “football legend whose influence pervaded generations.” According to Manchester United legend David Beckham, Charlton was “truly a national hero.” Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of Britain, referred to him as “one of the game’s greatest players.”
Before September 2015, when Wayne Rooney scored his 50th goal for the national team, Charlton held the England scoring record. Charlton, who played every minute for England in the 1966 World Cup, scored three of the team’s four goals. In particular, he distinguished himself in the semifinals against Portugal by securing two goals to propel England to its first major final.
The final result was England’s 4-2 victory over West Germany following extra time.
While Ryan Giggs surpassed Charlton’s record for most appearances for United in 2008, his club scoring streak persisted for an additional nine years. Rooney scored his 250th goal for United in 2017, forty-four years after Charlton last donned the renowned red jersey of England’s most successful club.
Following his retirement in 1973, Charlton entered the coaching profession and established a junior program in which Beckham participated.
Charlton reinstated Ferguson as United’s director in 1984, following brief tenures at Preston, Wigan, and Irish club Waterford. In 1986, he convinced the board to appoint Ferguson, who oversaw the club for nearly 27 years and won 38 trophies.
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994, Charlton remains a fixture at Old Trafford, where he is commemorated alongside Best and Law on a statue outside United’s stadium.
Charlton averted the controversies and diversions that harmed Best’s career; his reputation transcended the tribalism of club and international football due to his distinctive style and demeanor.
“In a 2001 magazine interview, I felt he could be a bit aloof,” the late Best stated. “We never engaged in a dispute; rather, we abstained from sharing a pint together.”
Charlton was identified as having been diagnosed with dementia in November 2020. This condition claimed the lives of his sibling Jack (who passed away in 2020 at the age of 85) and another World Cup champion, Nobby Stiles.
Geoff Hurst, who achieved a hat trick in the 1966 final, is the sole surviving member of that England squad due to Charlton’s demise.
“Neither will all of football forget him, nor will we,” Hurst said of Charlton on X, formerly Twitter. “Beyond the realm of sports, he will be sorely missed by the nation as a tremendous colleague and friend.”
Robert Charlton, born in the coal-mining town of Ashington, northeast England, on October 11, 1937, displayed his aptitude at an early age.
“Around the age of five, we realised Bobby was going to be a bit special as a player,” his older brother Jack explained. “Whenever he attempted to kick a tennis ball or football against a wall, the rebound clung to him like a magnet.”
Charlton documented 2007 that his family occasionally subsisted on illicitly procured salmon or rabbit for sustenance, whereas his father, also named Robert, procured and sold coal that had washed up on nearby coastlines to supplement his earnings.
Due to his father’s dedication to his mining colleagues, he could not witness Charlton score both goals in the 1966 World Cup semifinal against Portugal. This was because he wanted to avoid requiring another individual to fill in for him in the mine. Nonetheless, his attendance at the championship match was confirmed when the Charlton brothers hoisted the trophy.
After leaving school at 15, Charlton embarked on his professional debut in Manchester, a distant location, three years later, against Charlton in 1956.
A tragic event occurred in the tightly bound squad of United players, whose bond was established during their arduous training period within two years. While the group was still rejoicing in victory at Red Star Belgrade and securing a spot in the semifinals of the European Cup, their aircraft caught fire during its third attempt to take off in heavy snow following a refueling halt in Germany.
Charlton, remarkably escaping the charred wreckage with only minor head injuries, made his way to assist survivors by sifting through the debris. As soon as Charlton noticed manager Matt Busby sobbing uncontrollably on the smoke-engulfed runway, he raced to assist the mentor who had elevated him to the first team.
However, eight members of the 23-manageable “Busby Babes” team, filled with promising individuals, perished. At 21, Duncan Edwards was regarded as one of the most talented athletes in England.
“At times, the knowledge that I walked away and discovered so much fills me with dreadful ire, regret, melancholy, and guilt,” Charlton wrote in 2007.
Charlton, motivated by an enduring duty to honor the recollections of the Munich victims, resumed competition in less than four weeks and assisted a hastily constructed squad consisting of survivors and substitutes in reaching the FA Cup final of that season.
Busby reconstructed his squad around Charlton, adding the English league championships won in 1957, 1965, and 1967.
Charlton stated, “There was always one great hope: the return to greatness of my beloved club.”
1968 marked the pinnacle of his club tenure, with Manchester United becoming the first English club to win the European Championship. Charlton defeated Benfica 4-1 in extra time, with two goals from the club, including the legendary Eusebio of Portugal.
However, Charlton is best recognized for participating in the World Cup-winning England squad. It continues to be the sole national championship won by England in men’s football.
A dispute arose between Charlton and his brother due to Jack’s public claim that Bobby’s wife caused his estrangement from his mother. Jack, however, presented Bobby with a lifetime achievement trophy at the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award after the two reconciled.
Bobby Charlton stated, “We have had our public disputes, which demonstrates that discord can sometimes disrupt the force of love and blood in any family, but I never lost the sense of awe and gratitude that we were together in 1966 on such a momentous occasion in the history of our country’s sport.”
In the final years of his existence, Charlton was seldom observed in public due to his dementia diagnosis. However, he was never forgotten.
After receiving the diagnosis, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford wrote of Charlton, “From day one, he embodied everything I aspired to be.” “Talented, courteous, professional, and caring.”
Phil Neville, an additional former Manchester United player, stated that Charlton deserved to be considered a football great alongside Pele, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi due to his accomplishments and how he accomplished them.
“He is on par with those other athletes,” Neville said on NBC on Saturday.
His wife, Norma, whom he married in 1961, and his two daughters survived him.
SOURCE – (AP)
Indianapolis — Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points, T.J. McConnell added 15 points and 10 assists, and the Indiana Pacers won their third-largest playoff game ever, defeating the New York Knicks 121-89 on Sunday to tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
Haliburton also had six rebounds, five assists, and four three-pointers as the Pacers cruised to a 43-point victory. They fell barely shy of their greatest lopsided playoff victory, a 34-point win over Cleveland in April 2018.
Tribune – VOR News Image
Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks
The series’ fifth game will be played on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks had only three players in double figures. Alec Burks finished with 20, Jalen Brunson with 18 — his lowest total in this tournament — and Deuce McBride with 16 on a day when they shot 33.7% from the field, 18.9% from three, and faced the greatest deficit of any team in this postseason.
Nuggets 115, Timber Wolves 107.
Minneapolis (AP) — Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon added 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting to lead Denver to a series-tying victory over Minnesota in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter, capitalizing on his buzzer-beating swish from behind half-court, and the Wolves only pulled the margin below double digits for brief intervals of the second half.
Toronto Star – VOR News Image
Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks
Anthony Edwards scored 44 points in another outstanding outing for Minnesota, hitting 16 of 25 from the field. Despite a 42-31 rebounding advantage, the Wolves were defeated at home for the second straight game by the defending NBA champions, who were fired up after losing the first two games of the series on their home court.
The series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Mike Conley scored 15 points, Karl-Anthony Towns went 5 for 18 from the field for 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert came on late to score 11 and 14 rebounds. Nonetheless, the Wolves trailed at home for the second consecutive game.
Sky – VOR News Image
Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks
Gordon didn’t miss until there was 3:39 remaining. The Nuggets closed the first half with eight points in 20 seconds, highlighted by Murray’s unbelievable heave.
SOURCE – (AP)
Darlington, South Carolina – Kyle Larson made it clear that he is no Swiftie, despite the fact that he surprised his daughter with a birthday vacation to Paris this week to see Taylor Swift in concert.
Larson wore a Taylor Swift-themed T-shirt and friendship bracelets that his wife, Katelyn, and 6-year-old Audrey had given him.
“I don’t feel like I’m a Swiftie at all,” Larson said Saturday at Darlington Raceway. “I do appreciate her music and how hard she works, but I’m not a Swiftie.”
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, has grown accustomed to being one of the circuit’s hottest and busiest drivers. He is coming off a historic victory last week at Kansas, where he beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds, the tightest finish in Cup Series history.
AP – VOR News Image
Kyle Larson Is Not A Hardcore Fan Of Taylor Swift Despite A Trip To Paris For A Concert
The picture finish with Buescher exceeded a landmark Darlington moment from 2003 when Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by 0.002 in the sport’s all-time closest finish.
Larson expected to hit a wall rather than win in the final moments.
“I just thought I was going to run out of space,” he explained. “But he allowed me ample space. Yeah, we went off the corner, and it was all about how the run would go.
Larson emerged victorious, with a frustrated Buescher finishing second.
Buescher claimed he repeatedly viewed the finale and replayed it in his thoughts. He learned far more than he thought about NASCAR’s scoring system and transponder placement, and he identified numerous things he would have done differently to win.
In the end, the Roush Fenway Racing driver accepted second place. “It was bothersome for two days,” he claimed. “There’s really no way around that.”
Buescher believes the best way to overcome it is with a more comfortable and successful performance at Darlington, where he has four top-10 results in his last six races, including a career-best third behind Victor Larson at the Southern 500 last September.
Larson, whose two wins this season trail those of Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, said the trip to France provided a reprieve from what will be a demanding rest of the month.
Larson will compete in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and qualify for the Indianapolis 500. The following week, he’ll try to complete all 1,100 miles of racing, starting at Indianapolis and finishing at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.
AP – VOR News Image
Kyle Larson Is Not A Hardcore Fan Of Taylor Swift Despite A Trip To Paris For A Concert
Erik Jones returns to racing after missing the past two weeks due to a compression fracture of a lower vertebra sustained in a collision at Talladega last month. Jones, a two-time Darlington winner, said he feels 100 percent, but it’s more probable that he’ll need some time to heal over the next few weeks.
Jones said he is unable to lift large weights, but he hopes to return to the gym next week. He intends to be fully recovered for the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in two weeks.
NASCAR allowed Jones to race at Kansas, but after consulting with his crew, he decided he needed more time to recover.
“If I really pushed it, I could’ve been in the car if I pushed it, I could’ve been in the car if I really, really wanted to be,” Jones stated. “At the same time, if I make that call on my own and overrule, and I go out and re-injure myself, I look like an idiot.”
Tyler Reddick dominated qualifying for Sunday’s race, extending his impressive record at Darlington. Reddick, 28, has three top-three results at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway, including second place in this race two years ago and runner-up to Larson in the Southern 500 last September.
Reddick will start ahead of two Roush Fenway Racing drivers, Brad Keselowski and Buescher. Byron is fifth, then Ty Gibbs. Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Hamlin, and Larson are in order of ranking.
AP – VOR News Image
Kyle Larson Is Not A Hardcore Fan Of Taylor Swift Despite A Trip To Paris For A Concert
Larson’s performance at Kansas puts him the betting favorite to win his second consecutive race at Darlington. BetMGM.com lists him at 4-1 odds for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday.
JGR teammates Hamlin (4.75-1) and Truex (5.5-1) come next. Byron, who won Darlington’s spring race in 2023, is 7.25-1, while pole-sitter Reddick is 8.5-1.
SOURCE – (AP)
MONTREAL — Lionel Messi played the entire game despite a first-half injury scare, Benjamin Cremaschi broke a tie in the 59th minute, and Inter Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat Montreal 3-2 on Saturday night, its fifth consecutive Major League Soccer victory.
Luis Suarez scored his 11th goal of the season for Inter Miami, while Matías Rojas scored from a free kick. Montreal (3-5-3) got goals from Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and Bryce Duke.
AP – VOR News Image
Messi Plays Through A Scare, Inter Miami Rallies Past Montreal 3-2 For Fifth Straight Win
Inter Miami (8-2-3) extended its unbeaten record to seven games (5-0-2) despite Lionel failing to score or assist for the first time in nine MLS appearances this season. Inter Miami is 7-0-2 in those nine games, with one loss coming against Montreal in March when Lionel did not participate.
Playing in Canada for the first time, Lionel abandoned the game late in the first half due to a problem with his left knee caused by defender George Campbell’s foul. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player collapsed immediately, clutching his knee and moaning in agony.
Inter Miami’s medical personnel entered the field to treat Messi, who stood up after around two minutes and headed to the Miami sideline. He was not subbed out, allowing him to return moments later.
AP – VOR News Image
Messi Plays Through A Scare, Inter Miami Rallies Past Montreal 3-2 For Fifth Straight Win
And for some reason, the match shifted at that moment.
Inter Miami was behind 2-0 when Messi was injured; when he returned, the score was 2-1, and it was tied moments later. Rojas scored on a free kick that Messi would normally take to put Inter Miami up, and Suarez added a goal from a corner kick late in the first-half stoppage time.
Suarez became the third player in MLS history to score 11 goals in his first 800 minutes of the season, following Mamadou Diallo (11 in 2000) and Ola Kamara (11 in 2021).
The game-winning goal occurred when Rojas threw a ball into open space, and Cremaschi ran it down. Then, he made a second attempt to nudge the ball just clear of two defenders and into the net for a 3-2 advantage. Messi had two final-minute chances to extend the lead, which he missed narrowly.
AP – VOR News Image
Messi Plays Through A Scare, Inter Miami Rallies Past Montreal 3-2 For Fifth Straight Win
Inter Miami was met by hundreds of fans when it arrived at its hotel Friday night, and Montreal, thanks in part to Messi’s signing with Major League Soccer last summer, sold out its 15,000 season tickets for the first time since joining in 2012. Messi has scored in 31 nations.
The match drew an announced sellout crowd of 19,619 spectators, including one dressed in a Messi tracksuit and sporting a goat mask in tribute to Messi’s status as the Greatest of All Time.
SOURCE – (AP)
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