When the final whistle blew, when Manchester United were European Cup winners at last, their captain’s initial reaction was not to celebrate. Bobby Charlton’s hands sank to his knees in exhaustion, rather than going up into the Wembley sky in jubilation. He had been a match-winner, bookending the 4-1 victory over Benfica with the first and last goals, but perhaps it was not the fatigue of 120 minutes’ work as much of the previous decade.
He collapsed in his hotel room afterwards, unable to get to the door on his first few attempts. In the wake of United’s greatest triumph, teammate David Sadler recalled Charlton and Sir Matt Busby looking drained. The United manager’s epic, tragic quest had been realised, but the dinner marking their 1968 European Cup win offered reminders of the cost. While Charlton could not make it downstairs, Johnny Berry was there, and he had not played since 1958. So was Kenny Morgans, whose career had not recovered from events 10 years earlier. The parents of Duncan Edwards were there and Charlton, who always deferred to a player who felt both teammate and hero, must have thought it should have been him lifting the European Cup instead. He played with George Best and against Pele but declared Edwards was the best player he ever saw.
