The Busby Babes and What Might Have Been

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. On February 6th, 1958, a plane carrying Manchester United players and staff back from a successful European Cup quarterfinal against Red Star Belgrade crashed while trying to take off from Munich-Riem airport in Germany. Twenty-three people were killed, including eight of the famous Busby Babes team.

I won’t attempt to eulogize the events of the tragedy because there are better informed and just plain better writers out there doing exactly that. I’d recommend reading Phil Holland’s beautifully written article about what happened 50 years ago and how important it was. Holland also highlights the contribution of Matt Busby’s assistant Jimmy Murphy, who basically held things together while Busby recovered in hospital.

I’d also recommend reading David Meek’s excellent article for The Guardian, which captures the thrill of what it must have been like to see that team play. From a purely footballing perspective, it’s worth remembering just how very good the Busby Babes were and how insanely good they would have been if not for the Munich Air Disaster.

Meek’s article also pays glowing tribute to Duncan Edwards, who stood out as an already magnificent player at the age of 21, and would almost certainly have gone on to be one of the all times greats.

[video via Who Ate All the Pies?]

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Category: English Premier League