MANCHESTER, England, Dec 12, 2010 (AFP) - Manchester United and England football great Sir Bobby Charlton welcomed the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for two months to Old Trafford on Sunday.
The miners will be the club's guests of honour when United are at home to Premier League leaders Arsenal in a top of the table clash on Monday.
Charlton, whose father was a miner in Northumberland, north-east England, was quoted by the BBC as saying: "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 Sir Alex Ferguson's men to a match, saying: "We have got enough footballers to make a team and maybe play Manchester United."
There are 26 of the 33 rescued miners visiting Britain.
Charlton, now a United director, suggested the miners see a United match when he visited Chile following their dramatic rescue in October.
