Sir Bobby Charlton’s incredible legacy lives on as we look back at a big moment in the Anglo-Italian Cup five years after he’d left Manchester United.

Manchester United are playing an Italian club on the third anniversary of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing, so it’s only right to look at one of the many remarkable stories regarding the iconic club ambassador. The 1966 World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner made 758 appearances for the club, on top of winning three league titles, two FA Cups and one European Cup.

In a long series recently published by The Athletic, Andy Mitten selected Charlton as United’s greatest player of all time. It’s hard to argue with, considering everything he did at Old Trafford – not just as a survivor of the Munich air disaster, but as an academy graduate to senior player before joining the board of directors in 1984 and later serving as a global club ambassador.

However, the story we’re going to look back at today isn’t exactly United-related. It’s from a guest appearance Charlton made for Welsh club Bangor City in the Anglo-Italian Cup.

Predicted XI: Here is a look at how United could line-up vs Como, amid injury issues…

Remember: Leny Yoro is suspended

Sir Bobby Charlton’s iconic winner for Bangor City

Following a spell as player-manager at Preston North End and Republic of Ireland outfit Waterford, Charlton was persuaded to play in charity matches at Wrexham and Bangor City’s stadiums in the late 1970s, as did the late Sir Stanley Matthews.

Former chairman of Bangor City, Charles Roberts, was also a director at Wrexham. He had met Charlton through a business colleague in Manchester. That relationship set in motion a sequence of events that made football history.

Speaking to the North Wales Chronicle in October 2023, following Charlton’s death at the age of 83, Roberts said: “Bobby was a good friend of mine. He was just a very humble guy who raised a lot of money for charity.”

On Saturday, March 25, 1978, Charlton featured in an Anglo-Italian Cup competition clash for Bangor City at Farrar Road Stadium. The Anglo-Italian Cup rules allowed non-league and lower-tier clubs to register guest players to boost attendances and public interest, which explains how Charlton made the squad for that match.

At the age of 40, Charlton played a central/attacking midfield role against Treviso. He pulled the strings against the Italian third-tier side and helped Bangor City secure a 2-1 win with a calm finish. Steve Hipwell also got on the scoresheet for the non-league Welsh outfit.

It was a historic week for Bangor City. Just 48 hours before Charlton’s win against Treviso, they had dismantled another Italian side, Reggiana, 5-1 at Farrar Road. They went on to lose 1-0 against Paganese and drew 2-2 with Reggiana to finish second overall among all British teams in the competition.

Charlton’s winner at Farrar Road remains one of the most iconic moments at the historic ground. Furthermore, his final appearance for United came in the Anglo-Italian Cup. Charlton scored twice in a 4-1 win over Hellas Verona.