LONDON • Manchester United and England legend Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia, according to reports yesterday.

A Telegraph report said the 83-year-old's wife Norma had given her "blessing" for the condition to be reported.

In July, Charlton's brother Jack died, having previously been diagnosed with dementia.

The announcement of Bobby's illness comes two days after Charlton's former United and England teammate Nobby Stiles died aged 78 after a long illness.

The trio were members of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team.

Bobby is regarded as one of England's best-ever midfielders and is an icon at Old Trafford. He was often present during United's home games before the coronavirus pandemic struck. He had held England's goal-scoring record of 49 for close to 50 years until it was broken by former United striker and captain Wayne Rooney.

Rooney also took Charlton's United record when he passed the 249 goals he scored for the club, tallying 253 by the time he left in 2017.

"Yet another hero of our 1966 World Cup winning team has been diagnosed with dementia. Perhaps the greatest of them all, @SirBobby. This is both very sad and deeply concerning," former England striker Gary Lineker wrote on Twitter.

Charlton's 249 United goals came across 758 games for the club, with his England goals coming in 106 appearances.

A survivor of the Munich Disaster in 1958 that killed several United players in a plane crash, he helped revive the team in the wake of the tragedy.

He famously scored two goals when United beat Benfica to win their first European Cup in 1968.

Charlton also won three English top-flight titles and the FA Cup with United.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE