Charlton held the record for most appearances for Manchester United ( 758 ), but this was surpassed by Ryan Giggs on 21 May 2008 ( the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final ).

Charlton also held the club record for most league appearances ( 606 ) until this too was overtaken by Giggs on 6 March 2011.

In January 2011 Charlton was voted the 4th greatest Manchester United player of all time by the readers of Inside United and ManUtd. com, behind Ryan Giggs ( who topped the poll ), Eric Cantona and George Best.

Charlton was related to several professional footballers on his mother's side of the family: his uncles were Jack Milburn ( Leeds United and Bradford City ), George Milburn ( Leeds United and Chesterfield ), Jim Milburn ( Leeds United and Bradford City ) and Stan Milburn ( Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale ), and legendary Newcastle United and England footballer Jackie Milburn, was his mother's cousin.

On 9 February 1953, Bedlington Grammar School pupil Charlton was spotted playing for East Northumberland schools by Manchester United chief scout Joe Armstrong.

He worked his way through the pecking order of teams, scoring regularly for the youth and reserve sides before he was handed his first team debut against Charlton Athletic in October 1956.

Charlton, still only 19, was selected for the game, which saw United goalkeeper Ray Wood carried off with a broken cheekbone after a clash with Villa centre forward Peter McParland.

Though Charlton was a candidate to go in goal to replace Wood ( in the days before substitutes, and certainly before goalkeeping substitutes ), it was teammate Jackie Blanchflower who ended up between the posts.

Charlton was an established player by the time the next season was fully underway, which saw United, as current League champions, become the first English team to compete in the European Cup.

Charlton, strapped into his seat, had fallen out of the cabin and when United goalkeeper Harry Gregg ( who had somehow got through a hole in the plane unscathed and begun a one-man rescue mission ) found him, he thought he was dead.

Gregg returned to the plane to try to help the appallingly injured Busby and Blanchflower, and when he turned around again, he was relieved to see that Charlton and Viollet, both of whom he had presumed to be dead, had got out of their detached seats and were looking into the wreckage.

Charlton suffered cuts to his head and severe shock and was in hospital for a week.

Charlton was the first injured survivor to leave hospital, Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes were not hospitalized since they escaped uninjured.

In between, there was the pressing matter for Charlton of the 1966 World Cup for which England, as hosts, had not needed to qualify.

England defeated Argentina 1 – 0 – the game was the only one in which Charlton received a caution – and faced Portugal in the semi finals.

Charlton opened the scoring with a crisp side-footed finish after a run by Roger Hunt had forced the Portuguese goalkeeper out of his net ; his second was a sweetly struck shot after a run and pull-back from Geoff Hurst.

Charlton's next England game was his 75th as England beat Northern Ireland ; 2 caps later and he had become England's second most-capped player, behind the veteran Billy Wright, who was approaching his 100th appearance when Charlton was starting out and ended with 105 caps.

In 1969, Charlton was awarded the OBE for services to football.

Shortly before the World Cup Charlton was involved in the Bogotá Bracelet incident in which he and Bobby Moore were accused of stealing a bracelet from a jewellery store.

Intended to surpass its predecessor in opulence, the series ' producers were handed an immensely high budget for the era and cast a handful of well-known movie stars among its leads, including Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck, Katharine Ross and Ricardo Montalban.

He trained with Charlton Athletic whilst searching for a club and was handed a trial at Derby County in November 2008.

Before Alan Curbishley left Charlton, Young had handed in a transfer request, since he and Curbishley had not got on.

Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton made his debut for the Manchester United first-team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958 after being rescued by Harry Gregg.

Charlton played 14 times for United in that first season, scoring twice on his debut and managing a total of 12 goals in all competitions, and including a hat-trick in a 5 – 1 away win over Charlton Athletic in the February.

Lineker made his England debut in 1984 and over the following eight years earned 80 caps and scored 48 goals, finishing as England's all-time second highest scorer behind Bobby Charlton.

Although he made a successful debut, he was dropped for England's next game against Scotland, in favour of Bobby Charlton.

Yorke started his Birmingham career well with a goal on his home debut against Charlton which went a long way in winning over skeptical fans owing to his lengthy association in the past with city rivals Aston Villa.

It was eventually established that the Charlton Comics incarnation of the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle made his debut on August 14, 1939.

* Peer Gynt ( 1941 film ), notable for being the film debut of Charlton Heston

He made his first-team debut in 1962, forming a partnership at the back with Jack Charlton which lasted for a decade.

Hunter made his debut for the England team in 1965, but the partnership between Charlton and Bobby Moore meant that he spent much of his international career as an understudy, winning 28 caps in total.

Morientes made his debut for the club against rivals Manchester United and scored his first Liverpool goal on 1 February 2005 against Charlton Athletic.

Bonds made his League debut for Charlton against Northampton Town in February 1965 and became a regular in the first team, going on to make 95 League appearances, scoring one goal, before being signed by Ron Greenwood for West Ham United for a fee of £ 50, 000 in May 1967.

He made his first-team debut in a 1 – 0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic in September 2000 and made 23 league and cup appearances for Newcastle in the 2000 – 01 season without scoring.

On April 11 he scored a hat-trick on his full debut in 4 – 0 win against Charlton Athletic at Selhurst Park.

He made his league debut against Charlton Athletic on 8 November 2003, again as a substitute, this time for Barry Hayles.

Walsh began his career at Charlton where he quickly established himself in the team, he made his debut as a 16 year-old substitute in a Second Division fixture with Shrewsbury Town during the 1979 – 80 season and went on to appear in nine league games as Charlton failed to hold to their Second Division status.

Born in Upton Park, London, Nicholls began his playing career at Charlton Athletic, making his debut in the 1996 – 97 season as a substitute in a 2 – 1 loss to Ipswich Town.

He finally made his Liverpool debut on 20 December 1986 in a goalless league away draw with Charlton Athletic, when regular defenders Barry Venison and Mark Lawrenson were absent due to injury.

Marsh made his Liverpool debut on the 1 March 1989 in the 2 – 0 win over Charlton Athletic at Anfield, when he came on as a 58th minute substitute for Jan Mølby.

It was just over two years later that Byrne made his debut, it was a day to forget for Byrne as Charlton Athletic thrashed the Reds 5-1 in a league match at The Valley on the 28 September 1957, he had to wait a further 4½ years for his first goal which came in the 52nd minute of a 3-1 2nd Division win over Brighton at Anfield on 3 February 1962.

After graduating from Lilleshall, Parker signed for Charlton Athletic as a trainee and made his first team debut as a substitute against Bury in the First Division on 23 August 1997, a game which ended 0 – 0.

He scored seconds into his competitive debut for West Ham United after coming on as a substitute in injury time to seal a 3 – 1 home win against Charlton in August 2006.