Sir Bobby Charlton led a delegation from Manchester United to Germany on Wednesday, to unveil a memorial to mark the Munich air disaster.
Sir Bobby Charlton survived the disaster in 1958
The stone memorial is at the site of the crash near Kirchtrudering, and features the names of the 23 people who died in the 1958 crash.
Sir Bobby, 66, said it meant a lot to anybody in the football world.
"It brings back memories, but it also brings back the thought that we had such a fantastic team," he said.
Sir Bobby was one of the survivors of the crash, but lost eight of his team mates.
"Every Manchester United player today has a little bit of Munich in his heart," he said.
The only previous memorial at the site was a trough of flowers with a small memorial inscription.
Twenty-three people died in the Munich air crash
German politician Hermann Memmel, who worked on the project, said in August: "When Man United play in Munich, Kirchtrudering becomes something of a place of pilgrimage for the English.
"A memorial for the victims of the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 shows a mark of humanity and represents a contribution to international understanding between England and Germany that is not to be underestimated."
The tragedy happened as the United team was travelling back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade.
Among the dead were eight members of the famous Busby Babes, named after manager Sir Matt Busby.
They were Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Billy Whelan and Tommy Taylor.
Club secretary Ken Merrett, chief executive David Gill, manager Sir Alex Ferguson joined Sir Bobby at event.