#OTD in 2010: United race into a 3-0 lead and threaten to blow Bayern away at Old Trafford;
However, with Rafael sent off, the German giants rally and score twice to level the tie at 4-4 and progress on away goals 😫
🇾🇪 Remembering Roger Byrne
During his National Service in the Royal Air Force, Roger Byrne wasn't considered good enough to play football and played rugby instead. But what he lacked in raw talent, he made up for with something far more valuable, an extraordinary work ethic and footballing intelligence, that made him one of United's greatest captains.
Byrne led us to three League titles in 1952, 1956, and 1957, and was an integral part of United becoming the first English team to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1957. As captain from 1955 onwards, he was the father figure to the young Busby Babes, often stepping in to protect his teammates from rough treatment by opposition players.
Matt Busby regarded him as a really stylish footballer, calling him the "aristocracy of football". He saw in Roger more than just a captain, he saw a leader who could inspire through example rather than words.
What many don't know is that in 1952, Byrne actually asked for a transfer after clashing with Busby over playing position. It took a dressing down from senior player Allenby Chilton to make him see sense. Chilton told him something special was about to happen at Old Trafford, and he needed to be part of it. Thankfully he listened.
Roger was also known for being a terrible driver. He once smashed into a lamp post in 1956 and drove through Matt Busby's garden wall in 1957. Off the pitch, he was planning for life after football, enrolled in a physiotherapy course at Salford Royal Hospital. That's where he met Joy Cooper, who became his wife.
He set a record that still stands today: 33 consecutive England appearances, every single international from his debut against Scotland in April 1954 to his last match against France in November 1957. He was being tipped to replace Billy Wright as England captain.
Bobby Charlton believed that had it not been for the accident, Manchester United would have won the European Cup in 1958. The team was learning quickly how to compete in Europe, and they had the quality to challenge Real Madrid's dominance.
The cruellest tragedy is that when he was supposed to return from Munich, Joy was going to tell him she was pregnant with their first child. He never knew.
Their son, Roger Jr., was born eight months after the disaster on October 7, 1958, and later became a ball boy at Old Trafford in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Born and raised in the Gorton district of Manchester, Roger Byrne was a local lad who became the heartbeat of Manchester United. At just 28 years old, he was everything a captain should be, brave, intelligent, demanding, protective.
Gone, but never forgotten 🌹🇾🇪
#RogerByrne #MUFC #ManchesterUnited