Sir Bobby unveils air disaster memorial

Sir Bobby Charlton choked back the tears as he helped to unveil a memorial to the 23 victims of the Munich Air Disaster close to the crash site in Kirchtrudering yesterday.

Charlton and the present Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, were among a delegation of Old Trafford officials who flew to southern Germany after a permanent reminder of the accident on 6 February, 1958, had finally been put in place.

The former England captain, who was just a teenager breaking into the United first team at the time of the crash, was one of the fortunate ones who escaped alive. His voice faltering with emotion, the 66-year-old said that he hoped United fans would try to visit the area, look at the plaque and remind themselves of an event that left a terrible scar on the club.

"It's not big but it means a lot to anybody in the football world and is something that anybody who supports Manchester United can come and pay their respects to.

"It brings back memories, but it also brings back the thought that we had such a fantastic team."