1. Roger William Byrne was an English footballer who played as a full-back and captain of Manchester United.
20 Facts About Roger Byrne
1. 2.
Roger Byrne died at the age of 28 in the Munich air disaster.
3.
Roger Byrne was one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the disaster on 6 February 1958.
4.
Roger Byrne made 33 appearances for the England national team.
5.
Roger Byrne undertook two years of National Service in the Royal Air Force, where he was not considered good enough to play football and played rugby instead.
6.
Roger Byrne captained the side through the legendary Busby Babes era, playing as a left-sided full-back of the traditional style.
7.
Roger Byrne had previously been fielded at wing half and outside left and it was a testament to his versatility that, despite being naturally right sided, he should have been a success in a variety of positions.
8.
Roger Byrne's tackling could be suspect and his aerial ability was described as no better than average, but his incredible work ethic and footballing intelligence allowed him to position himself and react to danger swiftly.
9.
Roger Byrne earned league-winner's medals in 1952,1956 and 1957, and was an FA Cup runner-up to Aston Villa in 1957.
10.
Roger Byrne helped United reach the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1957, when they were the English Football League's first entrants into the competition.
11.
Roger Byrne was a regular member of Walter Winterbottom's England team during the 1950s and was considered a possible captain of the national team after the retirement of the incumbent captain, Billy Wright, whose career continued until 1959.
12.
Roger Byrne appeared in every England international from his debut against Scotland in April 1954 to his last match against France in November 1957.
13.
Roger Byrne never scored a goal for England; he took two penalties during his England career, but both were missed against Brazil and Yugoslavia in 1956.
14.
Roger Byrne died in the Munich air disaster at the age of 28.
15.
Roger Byrne was the oldest of the eight players who perished at Munich.
16.
Roger Byrne was survived by both of his parents at that time.
17.
Roger Byrne was in the side which ousted Red Star Belgrade in the quarter-finals of the European Cup.
18.
Roger Byrne was living in Swindon, Wiltshire, and had been working in a senior role for the local council.
19.
Roger Byrne was survived by his mother, Joy, who by this stage was well into her seventies.
20.
The 2011 television drama United centred on the successes of the Busby Babes and the decimation of the team in the Munich air disaster, wrongly named Mark Jones as the captain of the team, while Roger Byrne was not mentioned as a member of the team.