London, Feb.6 : England footballer Wayne Rooney has said that he is proud and honoured to be a Manchester United player, particulalrly after watching a DVD on the air tragedy that struck the team in Munich 50 years ago.

Survivor Sir Bobby Charlton also gave a speech about the tragedy and how the club came back to win the European Cup ten years later.

It was an emotional lunchtime at the club's Carrington training ground for everyone involved, Rooney revealed to The Sun.

He said: "We saw the way they were playing before the disaster and you could see they were a good, young team growing together," Rooney said of the former players, who were known as the Busy Babes".

"For a disaster like that to happen is horrible in any walk of life. For a football club to bounce back from something as terrible as Munich, and to go on and become the huge club it is today - it's just an honour to be a part of it and part of the history of United," Rooney said.

Rooney also said that he always looks for opportunities to talk to Charlton

"You see Sir Bobby around the club. He's a legend. Not only that, but he's really easy to talk to. You can speak to him about anything - your personal life, your football, anything. For him to still be around the club and to have been involved with United for so long is brilliant," said Rooney.

Club captain Gary Neville said reliving the disaster 50 years on with Sir Bobby was a special occasion.

The official anniversary is today but the disaster will be remembered publicly on Sunday at Old Trafford, when United face local rivals Manchester City.

The United team have been given special dispensation to wear replicas of the 1958 kit with no names on. There will also be a minute's silence before kick-off.

The Babes themselves were returning from playing Belgrade, having booked their place in the competition's semi-finals, when they landed in Munich to refuel, and then the tragedy happened.

ANI