Sir Bobby, football's humble giant

& England and United icon let his feet do the talking as he tutned tragedy into triumph

- Ken Dyer

HELMUT SCHOEN knew exactly what his team had to do if they were to give themselves the best chance of winning the World Cup.

In the days leading up to the 1966 Wembley final, the West Germany manager looked carefully at the opposition and decided that England's best player had to be nullified.

'Stop Bobby Charlton and we win," he said.

That, in a nutshell, tells you everything about the global status of one of the best footballers of all-time, who died on Saturday, aged 86.

Schoen duly picked his supremely gifted 20-year-old Franz Beckenbauer to mark Sir Bobby.

Little did he know, however, that England manager Sir Alf Ramsey had mirrored his strategy by ordering Charlton to keep a close watch on Beckenbauer.

"We cancelled each other out," Charlton said later, understating in his self-effacing way the part he had played in England's victory, as well as the three goals he had scored on the way to that unforgettable Wembley showdown.

He was 28-years-old then, at his peak for both country and his beloved Manchester United.

Four years later he was still an integral part of Ramsey's side that progressed to the quarter-finals where, again, they came up against West Germany.

Charlton's stamina was one of his greatest assets but, with England leading 2-1 and with 20 minutes to go in the tortuous heat of Leon, Mexico, Ramsey decided to substitute the United star.

West Germany went on to win 3-2 and, on the plane home, Charlton told Ramsey that he had retired from international football. He has earned 106 caps and scored 49 goals.