Duncan Edwards

A moment of repose before the big day ahead.

6th February 1958.

A plane crashes on a runway in Munich. 23 of the 44 passengers die, including eight Manchester United
players.

Among them was Duncan Edwards. It is football's tragedy that we will never know the player he could have been:

Is it possible that Duncan Edwards was really that good? Greater, perhaps, than Pele or Alfredo di Stefano? Frustratingly, there being little film footage available of him in action, we must depend upon the evidence of eyewitnesses at the time. "He was the best player I've ever seen and the best footballer I ever played with," says Sir Bobby Charlton. "I always felt I could compare well with any player - except Duncan. He was such a talent, I always felt inferior to him."

Even Matt Busby, who was vehement in his refusal to acknowledge that one 'Babe' might be regarded as more important than the others, could not camouflage the tone of awe that entered his voice whenever Edwards' name was raised. "Duncan had everything. He was so big, so strong, so confident and still so young. Right from the start we gave up trying to spot flaws in his game. John Charles was another giant of a player, a giant with great, great skill. But as a player, even John didn't have as much as Duncan. He used to move upfield brushing people aside to lash in late goals when we needed them." (Telegraph)