As football fans across the globe mourn the death of Bobby Charlton, a handful of local fans remember when the Manchester United legend visited the island - four times.

Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Charlton died on Saturday at the age of 86 after a long battle with dementia.

An England player when the country took the World Cup  in 1966, Charlton spent most of his career playing for Manchester United - scoring 249 goals in 758 appearances between 1956 and 1973. 

And just a year after taking home the World Cup trophy, Charlton was kicking a ball at the Gżira stadium. On September 17, 1967, he was part of the Manchester United team playing in a Champion’s Cup match against Hibernians.

According to the Facebook page, Malta and International Football Collection, the Paola team gave a dazzling performance and the match ended in a goalless draw. 

United and Charlton first came to Malta in 1961 when they beat a Malta FA selection 2-0, also at the popular Gżira stadium. Yet it was the 1967 game that caught the local crowd's attention. 

Memorable day in the history of Maltese football

In a Times of Malta article on the 40th anniversary of the famous match, Carmel Baldacchino said that when it was announced that the popular English football team was to play on local soil, the cry “United are coming” echoed around every street. 

"The old visitors' balcony at Luqa Airport bore witness to the hysteria that gripped the Maltese on that occasion," Baldacchino wrote.

"Thousands of United fans fought for every inch of space to see and cheer their heroes."

He said the match was a "memorable day in the history of Maltese football".

"United, despite their star-studded team, were unable to break Hib's defensive barrier," Baldacchino recalled. 

"In the dying minutes, a long clearance caught United's defence on the wrong foot. Frans Scerri found himself all alone in front of goalkeeper Alex Stepney. The Hibs' youngster drove hard but the experienced goalkeeper saved.

"The end came a few minutes later with both sides still level at 0-0."

One of the hundreds of Maltese who watched the exciting game was Carmelo Scicluna, former Disability Commissioner Oliver Scicluna's father. 

Oliver Scicluna's father - Carmelo - met Charlton at the Sheraton Hotel, now Westin Dragonara in 1967. Photo: Oliver Scicluna Facebook

“My father is a longtime Man Utd supporter, so much so he called me when the news of Charlton’s death was announced and started telling me all about it,” Scicluna told Times of Malta. 

Carmelo was just 23 when the English team played in Malta.

When Charlton swapped red kit for green 

The third time Charlton played on Maltese soil, it was with Floriana. 

On June 4, 1980, aged 43, the British footballer played for Floriana in a friendly match against Wigan Athletic. 

He was invited by Floriana at the end of the season as part of the club's 80th anniversary celebrations. 

When Bobby Charlton (back row, 4th player to the right) played for Floriana. Photo: Facebook/Malta and International Football Collection

According to the Malta and International Football Collection Facebook page, tickets to enter the Gżira stadium were priced at just 25 cents (58 euro cents) for adults and a mere 15 cents (35 euro cents) for boys. Only the doors of the enclosure were open on match day. All other gates leading to the other sides of the stadium remained closed.

Floriana player Frankie Micallef with Bobby Charlton. Photo: Charles Buttigieg/Facebook

On the evening of the match, Floriana organised a dinner dance at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta in honour of Bobby Charlton. During the event, the football boots of the former England star were raffled.

Charlton in Malta for MFA's centenary

Aged 63, Charlton again visited Malta in 2000, this time as a spectator and guest.

Then, Malta played a friendly against England as part of the Malta Football Association's centenary celebrations. Charlton was invited as a guest of honour. 

There was a gala dinner at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, which he attended. 

Charlton had a strong impact on the local football scene when, in 2002, a Bobby Charlton Soccer School was set up at the Luxol football ground in St Andrews. 

The school was for five to 16 years old and, at the time, more than 120 footballers started the 10-week training course. 

On X, formerly Twitter, the England team said full tribute to Charlton will be paid at Wembley Stadium when England play Malta on 17 November.