The Greatest Moments of Jack Charlton's Career

Jack Charlton, a member of England's immortal World Cup winning squad of 1966, has died at the age of 85.

Not only was he part of the greatest Three Lions team in history, he also carved out an incredible club career at Leeds United before turning his hand to management, including a memorable stint in charge of the Republic of Ireland.

Born into a famous footballing family, Charlton lived and breathed the beautiful game and he will be sadly missed. Here are five of his greatest career moments.

1. 1966 and All That

Where else could we start than with one of the greatest achievements in English sporting history?

The fact that Charlton was even part of this squad is remarkable, given he'd made his Three Lions debut just one year earlier at the age of 30. Despite his age, Alf Ramsey saw something in the reliable, rangy centre-back whose no-nonsense style contrasted beautifully with the more technically gifted Bobby Moore.

Charlton played every single second of the tournament as England made their way to the final, even providing a vital assist for Roger Hunt in their pivotal group game against France.

In the final itself, he may have been at fault for West Germany's opening goal - a fact he later admitted - but he did a good job of containing the Die Mannschaft forward line, providing a solid foundation for Geoff Hurst to win the game in extra time.

2. FWA Player of the Year

Maybe we're a little biased, but in our eyes there's no more prestigious individual honour than winning the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award.

Some of the best players of all time have lifted the gong and Charlton added his name to the list in 1967 - one season after his brother Bobby won it.

Securing any individual accolade as a centre-back is a tough task but the Leeds man managed it, with his imperious defensive performances helping the Whites to the second best defensive record in the First Division that year.

3. First Division Title Winner

When Don Revie took over Leeds in 1961 they were an unremarkable club with few domestic honours to boast about.

Eight years on and after a couple of near misses, their wait for a top division title finally came to an end.

During the 1968/1969 season, Leeds were unbeaten at home and lost just twice on the road. They secured the title in the sweetest of circumstances as well, defeating second placed Liverpool at Anfield to get themselves over the line.

Key to their success that season was the ever present Charlton, who later revealed that the Kop had serenaded him with cries of 'you big dirty giraffe' throughout the game. Harsh.

4. Promoted With Middlesbrough

Not one to rest on his laurels, Charlton moved into management almost immediately after his retirement in 1973, taking a job at Middlesbrough.

However, Big Jack being Big Jack, it wasn't the most conventional of arrangements. Charlton refused to sign a contract, working for a reported salary of just £10,000-a-year - well below what he could have earned elsewhere.

His first job? Painting Boro's Ayresome Park home to make it more attractive to supporters of course.

During his first season he guided the club to the Second Division title, winning the league by a ridiculous 15 points in the days where a win garnered just two points. The achievement won him the Manager of the Year award. It was the first time a non-top flight boss had been honoured.

5. 1990 and All That

It's hard to put Charlton's influence on Irish football into words. In fact, guiding the Boys in Green to their first ever World Cup in 1990 transcended sport. It was also a vital source of national pride during a challenging period in the nation's history.

After a tough qualification campaign, Charlton's metropolitan squad drew a challenging group containing England, Egypt and the Netherlands. A fine performances against the Three Lions earned them a 1-1 draw and two more stalemates secured their progression in the last 16.

There they met Romania who they beat on penalties to spark manic scenes of celebration back home. Though they eventually bowed out to hosts Italy in the quarter finals, half a million people lined the streets of Ireland to welcome their heroes back.

It was a significant cultural moment in modern Irish history.