Flowers of Manchester

6th February marked the 60th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, where 23 people died and 21 survived in a plane crash from take off due to slush on the runway.

The plane carried Sir Matt Busby’s famous Manchester United squad, The Busby Babes, in which eight players and three members of United staff died.

The Red Devils were looking to return to England to prepare for their third successive domestic title in the season of 1958, after defeating Red Star Belgrade in a European Cup match in West Germany.

The wintery conditions of Munich meant that the plight of the runway was bad, with slush spread everywhere.

After two attempts, it was thought that the flight had been cancel due to heavy snowfall.

However, the flight had proceeded for the last attempt as the plane skid across the icy runway, crashed and was engulfed with a ball of fire; claiming more than half of the lives that day.

Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan were the United players who were confirmed dead that day.

Two crew members, eight journalists and two other passengers died that day too.

21-year-old Duncan Edwards was one of the prime prospects not only for Manchester United, but for the England National Team as many saw him as a future captain.

He was seriously injured in the crash and died almost a fortnight later in hospital.

Though rivalries are strong in the top tier of English football, the sense of unity and belonging in tragedies like these, to this date, is the strongest force ever witnessed by players and fans alike.

Many share their love for the game as well as their condolences for the lives lost that day, with every year marked by a moment of silence at the Old Trafford Stadium.

Many believe the tragedy surrounding the Flowers of Manchester was a turning point in history for the Red Devils as they fought back stronger in rebuilding their team.

10 years after the Munich Air Disaster, survivor, Manchester United Legend and World Cup Winner Bobby Charlton lifted the club’s first ever European Cup as he scored two goals against Eusebio’s Benfica in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Since then, Manchester United have gone on to be one of the most successful football clubs in the world.

(Source of Image – Twitter – @paulpogba: https://twitter.com/paulpogba/status/960869728700043264/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Ffootball%2F2018%2Ffeb%2F06%2Fflowers-of-manchester-united-munich-air-disaster-60)

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