Bobby Charlton’s football was ‘poetry in motion’, says former teammate Alex Stepney

Bobby Charlton’s former teammate Alex Stepney has paid tribute to the late footballer describing him as a “great man”.

Stepney said “It was poetry in motion when he picked the ball up” as he paid tribute to Charlton ahead of Manchester United’s Champions League match against FC Copenhagen.

Charlton died on Saturday at the age of 86.

Stepney said: “When I got the phone call on Saturday morning, you start thinking about what a great man. How he performed day in day out in training, on the pitch.

“Whether we were winning, whether we were losing at half-time or drawing, with Bobby we could score four more.”