England Legend Bobby Charlton Named His ‘Most Intelligent Player Ever’

Sir Bobby Charlton was one of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport. A legend for Manchester United, he scored a then-club record 249 goals in 758 appearances for the Red Devils.

He was also a World Cup-winner with England in 1966, the same year in which he won the Ballon d’Or. In simple terms, he was one of the very best.

Indeed, there were few better than the Englishman. That said, there have been plenty of footballers over the years to have impressed Charlton. For example, he once picked his dream XI of legends in a 2007 interview with FourFourTwo, and took the opportunity to single out Alfredo Di Stefano for praise.

Sir Bobby Charlton Was In Awe of Alfredo Di Stefano

“I couldn’t take my eyes off this guy. I’d never seen anyone so good”

When naming his dream XI in a 2007 interview with FourFourTwo, Charlton selected Di Stefano as the captain of his fantasy team. He went on to speak in glowing terms of the Real Madrid icon:

Related

Why Man United Legends George Best and Bobby Charlton Grew to Hate Each Other

Best even refused to play at Charlton’s testimonial, choosing to instead sit in a pub and throw eggs at a portrait of the Manchester United icon.

Sir Alex Ferguson Also Thought Highly of Di Stefano

“He was one of the greatest”

It turns out, Charlton wasn’t the only Man United legend to feel fondly about Di Stefano. Indeed, Sir Alex Ferguson ranked the Real Madrid hero among the greatest players of all time.

Speaking after the Argentinian-born forward’s death in 2014, Ferguson said: “The great question that always comes up is who are the greatest players.

“There is a list of great ones like Cruyff, Maradona and Pele and of course Puskas and Di Stefano – I thought he was one of the greatest in my mind.

“He had a fantastic balance and poise. If you look at one of the goals he scored in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt it was completely what we are saying about the balance and poise, unbelievable he was.”

Charlton also used Di Stefano’s passing as an opportunity to reiterate his fondness for the player, noting: “He was somebody I really respected, having watched him from the stands at the Bernabeu and then played against him. I have many fond memories of my time with Alfredo and feel privileged to be able to call him a good friend. The footballing world has lost a great player and a great man.”