sport news Sir Bobby Charlton's last surviving brother Tommy reveals he WASN'T at Wembley ... trends now
Sir Bobby Charlton's last surviving brother Tommy has revealed why he missed a trip to Wembley to watch his brothers win the 1966 World Cup in an emotional tribute in the wake of the Manchester United legend's death.
Charlton passed away in October at the age of 86 following a lengthy battle with dementia and was mourned throughout the football world.
As well as receiving personal tributes from luminaries including Sir Geoff Hurst, Sir Alex Ferguson, and David Beckham, Charlton's former club commemorated his passing with a minute's silence ahead of their Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford.
A wreath was laid in the centre circle by captain Bruno Fernandes, whilst a lone piper played 'We'll never die'.
Premier League clubs later paid tribute to the iconic England player with a minute's applause before kick-offs on the match weekend following his passing.
Sir Bobby Charlton's last surviving brother Tommy (pictured at their brother Jack's funeral in 2020) has shared details about their close bond
But Tommy was unable to make the trip to Wembley to watch Jack and Charlton win the 1966 World Cup
Both brothers featured in the historic clash but their youngest sibling watched it from afar
But Tommy's recollections were uniquely personal as he spoke to Sky Sports about Charlton and their brother Jack, who died in 2020, and the fateful reason he wasn't able to watch their World Cup triumph in person.
'Before the final, Bob managed to get me a ticket to the final,' he said. 'And I lived in Ashington and Ashington is a long way from London. I'd never been to London. I'd very rarely been out of Ashington, if the truth was known.
'I didn't have any money to get there. Nobody in the family had that sort of money, and I didn't want to ask brother Jack to help me, because they had far too much on the plate at the time.
'And that was just not the thing that I was willing to do, so I watched the match at home on the TV, and, well, it was actually with my girlfriend at the time - it was at their house
'But I regret that now. I regret that I should have, actually got a bank loan or something to get there.
'But to me, it was just my brothers
