Manchester United legend and England World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia, his family have confirmed.
The former United player's wife, Lady Norma Charlton, disclosed the news to the Telegraph in another devastating piece of news for the Old Trafford club following the death of Nobby Stiles earlier this week.
Sir Bobby's brother Jack Charlton died earlier this year after being diagnosed with dementia and Stiles also suffered with the illness.
The Telegraph report that Lady Norma was happy for the news to be reported and also expressed a hope that Sir Bobby’s diagnosis could help others. There has been extensive research into links between the illness and heading a football after the premature death of West Brom legend Jeff Astle.
Sir Bobby, 83, is famed for his role in the 1966 World Cup win and for his pivotal position at United during Sir Matt Busby's spell in charge of the club, emerging as one of the 'Busby Babes', surviving the Munich Air Disaster in 1958 and helping to rebuild the club. He eventually inspired United to win the 1968 European Cup, the first English club to lift the trophy. There is a statue outside Old Trafford of Charlton, Denis Law and George Best, who formed a brilliant trio in attack for Busby's United, 'the United Trinity'.
He scored 249 goals in 758 games for United and 49 goals in 106 games for the Three Lions, holding goal-scoring records for both club and country until Wayne Rooney surpassed them in recent years.
Sir Bobby continues to serve as a United director alongside close friend Sir Alex Ferguson and has regularly attended games at Old Trafford until recently.
A new film, Finding Jack Charlton , will also reveal that Sir Bobby is living with dementia and is about his brother's struggle with the disease.
