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Friday, March 29, 2024

Sir Bobby welcomes Chilean miners

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Sir Bobby Charlton meets the rescued Chilean miners Raul Bustos (left) and Mario Sepulveda

Sir Bobby Charlton has welcomed the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for two months to the UK.

After arriving in the country, the men visited Old Trafford where they will be guests of honour at Manchester United’s top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal.

The BBC reported that Sir Bobby, whose father was a miner in Northumberland, told them: “You took it in your stride and the whole world was very proud of you.”

Omar Reygadas, a 56-year-old bulldozer operator, said: “It’s an honour to be at Old Trafford. It’s the theatre of dreams and we have only seen it on television. We are very glad and excited to watch the match against Arsenal tomorrow.”

He jokingly challenged United to a game, saying: “We have got enough footballers to make a team and maybe play Manchester United.”

There are 26 of the 33 rescued miners visiting the UK.

At least some of the men are believed to be fans of United and they will get VIP access to meet Sir Alex Ferguson and his players before the match, before taking their seats in the directors’ box.

The trip was suggested by Old Trafford legend Sir Bobby and is being organised by Chilean wine producer Concha Y Toro, which sponsors United.

The miners were dramatically rescued in October when, one by one, they were brought back to the surface in a capsule after spending two months underground. The story made headlines across the globe and two of the men have said that plans for a film chronicling their ordeal in the South American country are moving fast.

Sir Bobby, a director at the football club, suggested the miners see a United game when he visited Chile in the autumn.

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