Busby babe Liam tribute lined up for 90th birthday

Striker killed in Munich air crash remembered

- BY SEAN MURPHY

MORE than 20,000 people turned out on the streets and stood silently when one of Ireland's most famous soccer players returned home 67 years ago.

But they were grieving the heartbreaking loss of tragic Manchester United player Liam Whelan who was only 22 when he died in the 1958 Munich air disaster.

To make sure the legendary striker legacy is maintained, he will be remembered in Dublin tomorrow on what would have been his 90th birthday.

Liam's relatives and supporters will gather in his home neighbourhood of Cabra, where a plaque was unveiled by his team-mate Bobby Charlton in 2006 to name the Liam Whelan Bridge.

Among those attending will be United fan Keith Norris, from Antrim, whose Big Lily flag has been regularly seen at United matches for the past 26 years, He said: "Remembering Liam on what would have been his 90th birthday, we have United supporters attending from Belfast, Carrickfergus, Manchester, Dublin and Maynooth and beyond. It is important to remember him."