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 . After helping United to win the Football League First Division in 1965 , he won another First Division title with United in 1967 . In 1968 , he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup , scoring two goals in the final to help them become the first English club to win the competition . He is United 's second all-time leading goal scorer ( 249 ) , being surpassed by Wayne Rooney , and held the distinction of being England 's all-time top goal scorer ( 49 ) from May 1968 to September 2015 , when again Rooney surpassed his record . Charlton held the record for most appearances for Manchester United ( 758 ) , before being surpassed by Ryan Giggs in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final
Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
Bobby Charlton