England manager announced that affable Geordie Bobby Charlton is too old to play for the England football team.
Charlton, who is the only player to have served in more than three World Cup squads and who opened the scoring in the 1966 tournament which saw England snatch the World Cup from Germany, said that he was disappointed at the Italian's decision but that he would always be ready to answer the call of his country, once he got his total knee replacement.
The 72 year old, who retired in 1970, returned to the game in 1994, scoring three goals in the World Cup in America, and one goal in France four years later. A hamstring injury kept him away from the national squad in 2002 and 2006, though he was selected as a substitute in this year's team that went to South Africa. He said that he didn't think that age should be a barrier to representing his country and he could see himself playing the beautiful game into his eighties.
However, some fans think that it is time for him to hang up his boots. "Capello is right. Bobby should grow old gracefully and take up a new game like scrabble or crossword puzzles."
