 Charles withWales in 1954 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William John Charles | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-12-27)27 December 1931[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 21 February 2004(2004-02-21) (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Wakefield, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward,centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1946–1948 | Swansea Town | ||
| 1948–1949 | Leeds United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1957 | Leeds United | 297 | (157) |
| 1957–1962 | Juventus | 155 | (108) |
| 1962 | Leeds United | 11 | (3) |
| 1962–1963 | Roma | 10 | (4) |
| 1963–1966 | Cardiff City | 69 | (18) |
| 1966–1971 | Hereford United | 173 | (80) |
| 1972–1974 | Merthyr Tydfil | ||
| Total | 715 | (370) | |
| International career | |||
| 1950–1965 | Wales | 38 | (15) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1967–1971 | Hereford United (player-manager) | ||
| 1972–1974 | Merthyr Tydfil (player-manager) | ||
| 1987 | Hamilton Steelers | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William John CharlesCBE (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welshfootballer who played as acentre-forward or as acentre-back. Best known for his time atLeeds United andJuventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from the British Isles.[2] Charles is sometimes considered to be one of the greatest footballers in history.[3][4]
John Charles began his career at Leeds United, having moved there in 1949 from his hometown club,Swansea Town. He was equally adept as a defender or a forward, due to his strength, pace, technique, vision, ability in the air and eye for goal.[5][6] After returning from his National Service in 1952, Charles began to be used more often as a forward, and he was theSecond Division's top scorer in 1954. The following year, he was named club captain; in his first season as captain, he led the club to second place and promotion. Charles ended the 1956–57 season as theFirst Division's top scorer and an eighth-place finish for Leeds. In the summer of 1957, Charles joined Juventus, where he partneredGiampiero Boniperti andOmar Sívori, with the trio becoming known asThe Holy Trident. In his five seasons with the club, he won thescudetto three times and theCoppa Italia twice; he was also thecapocannoniere winner for the 1957–58 season. In 1962, Charles returned to Leeds, but his time there proved unsuccessful as he was accustomed to the style of play in Italy, and by the end of the year, he had joinedRoma. Charles moved back to his native country to play forCardiff City, and ended his career in non-league football in player-manager roles atHereford United andMerthyr Tydfil. He was nevercautioned norsent off during his entire career,[7] owing to his philosophy of never kicking nor intentionally hurting opposing players. This led to the nickname he acquired while playing for Juventus,Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant).[6] In 1998, he was included in theFootball League 100 Legends, and in 2002, he was one of the inaugural inductees to theFootball Hall of Fame.
He played for theWelsh national team over fifteen years, from 1950 to 1965. Alongside his brother,Mel Charles, he was a member of the Welsh squad at the1958 FIFA World Cup. At the tournament, he scored in a 1–1 draw withHungary, but he was injured in a play-off match against the same opposition. Ruled out of the quarter-final againstBrazil, Wales lost the match 1–0, withPelé scoring the winner. Wales managerJimmy Murphy opined that had Charles been fit, Wales might have won the match.
For its 50th anniversary in 2004,UEFA asked each of its then 52 member associations to nominate one player as the single most outstanding player of the period 1954–2003, and Charles was chosen as theGolden Player of Wales by itsnational association in November 2003.
Charles was born in theCwmbwrla district ofSwansea during late 1931. Charles would play football as a child, with younger brotherMel Charles who also went on to become a professional, later playing alongside each other for the Welsh national team.[8] The brothers grew up on Alice Street in Swansea, being neighbours of fellow future Welsh internationalsErnie Jones,Mel Nurse, andJackie Roberts.[9]
While still at school, Charles joined the boys section of the local team Swansea Town, who later becameSwansea City. When he left school at age 14 he was taken onto the groundstaff atVetch Field, yet because of his young ageThird Division Swansea never gave him a first-team call up. His only senior appearances came for the reserve side in theWelsh Football League.
While playing for Gendros, a local youth club, he was scouted byLeeds United and given a trial in September 1948. At his trial he impressed and duly signed for them at the age of 17, relocating toYorkshire.
Then manager of Leeds United,Major Buckley, selected Charles in a variety of positions including right-back, centre-half and left-half for Leeds Reserves. Charles made his first team debut as a centre back for Leeds in a friendly versusDumfries clubQueen of the South on 19 April 1949. Charles was tasked with marking the incumbentScotland centre forwardBilly Houliston, who ten days previously atWembley, had run the England defence ragged as the Scots won 3–1. The score at Elland Road was 0–0. After the game, Houliston said 17-year-old Charles was "the best centre half I've ever played against".[10] Charles made his league debut against Blackburn Rovers also in April 1949, playing at centre-half. From 1950 until 1952, Charles was away on National Service with the 12th Royal Lancers at Carlisle. The army allowed him to turn out for Leeds, but also saw to it that he played for them, and in 1952, Charles skippered his side to the Army Cup. It was during this period that he had operations to repair cartilages in both knees.[11]
After his return to the Leeds side in November 1951, Charles played at centre-forward and centre half. This prompted a debate as to where Charles should play in the team, but he remained at centre-half until the 1952–53 season. In October 1952, he was switched to centre forward and immediately started to score, with 11 goals in 6 games. In 1955, he was appointed club captain and during the 1955–56 season, Leeds won promotion to the First Division. Charles was in sparkling form, scoring 29 goals in 42 appearances. In the following season, Charles scored a new club top flight record tally of 38 goals in 40 league appearances as Leeds secured an 8th-place finish in the first division, before finally moving away from the club. His influence on Leeds' success during his final season was so strong, reporters nicknamed the club "John Charles United".[12] In total, he scored 150 league goals in eight years for Leeds, including a club record 42 goals in 39 appearances during the 1953–54 season. He remains the second highest all time goal scorer for Leeds afterPeter Lorimer.
In August 1957, he joined the Italian clubJuventus for a then British record £65,000 transfer fee, almost doubling the previous record. The transfer was notable as Charles became one of the first British professional players to be signed for an overseas team afterJohn Fox Watson led the way moving fromFulham toReal Madrid in 1948.[6]
His debut came on 8 September 1957 againstHellas Verona. Goals fromGiampiero Boniperti andOmar Sívori had made the score 2–2, when up popped Charles to score the winner. The following week, he scored the only goal in the victory overUdinese, and he then hit the decisive strike in a 3–2 victory overGenoa. He had been the match-winner in his first three games.[6]
In his first season in Italy, Charles wasSerie A's top scorer with 28 goals, and was voted player of the season as Juventus won thescudetto. He played inTurin for five years, scoring 108 goals in 155 matches, winning thescudetto (Italian league championship) three times, and theCoppa Italia twice. He placed third in theBallon d'Or in1959, the highest position for a Welsh footballer. His prolific partnership with Sívori and Boniperti in Juventus's front-line earned the trio the nicknamesThe Holy Trident andThe Magical Trio; Charles was also dubbedIl Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) during his five seasons with the club, due to his size and fair play.[6] The respect Charles earned from Juventus fans was shown when, on the occasion of the club's centenary in 1997, they voted him the club's best-ever foreign player.[13]
Following his time at Juventus,Don Revie paid a club record £53,000 to secure the return of Charles to Yorkshire. As a result of the excitement this created, Leeds United raised admission prices for the start of the 1962–63 season. Charles second spell at Elland Road was less successful. After five years in Italy, he found it difficult to adjust to life and football back in Britain.
After 11 games and three goals – a shadow of his former strike rate – Charles was sold for £70,000 toRoma. Initially, the move was a success and Charles scored within fifteen minutes of his first game for Roma, in a match against Bologna. The early promise was never fulfilled, however, and Charles was on the move again a year later.
He left to joinCardiff City where he stayed until 1966, which marked the end of his league career. He later became manager ofHereford United,Merthyr Tydfil and theSwansea City youth team, and technical director of the Canadian teamHamilton Steelers, whom he became coach of midway through the 1987 season.[14]
Charles first played for theWelsh national team shortly after his 18th birthday.
He played for Wales at the1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden – the first time the nation qualified for the competition. It was alsothe only time all four of theHome Nations qualified for the same World Cup, though only Wales andNorthern Ireland made it past the group stage.[15] Wales remained undefeated in the group stage, battling to draws withHungary (thanks to a Charles goal),Mexico, and eventual runners-upSweden. As Hungary also recorded three points, a play-off match ensued, and Wales came from behind at theRåsunda Stadium to advance with a 2–1 win; however, Charles was injured in the match and missed out on the rest of the tournament. Wales were eventually knocked out byBrazil in the quarter-finals thanks to a goal byPelé in the 66th minute: the Brazilians went on towin the competition. Wales managerJimmy Murphy said that "with John Charles in the side we might have won".[16]
In total for Wales, Charles made 38 appearances and scored 15 goals.
Charles played for theGreat Britain team against Ireland in 1955.
Regarded as one of the greatest British footballers of all-time,[2] Charles was a versatile footballer who was capable of playing both as acentre-forward and as acentre-back. As astriker, he was renowned for being a prolific goalscorer, as he was capable of scoring with either foot, courtesy of his powerful and accurate shot; due to his height, physique, and strength, as well as his heading power and accuracy, he also excelled in the air, which made him an aerial goal threat. Despite his size, he was also a fast player, with good technical skills and passing ability, which allowed him both to score and create goals. In addition to his ability, he was also known for his correct behaviour on the pitch, which along with his stature, earned him the nicknameIl Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant).[5][6][17]
In the foreword for Charles' autobiography,Sir Bobby Robson described him as "incomparable" and classed him among the all-time footballing greats such asPelé,Diego Maradona andGeorge Best, saying "Incomparable. John wasn't only one of the greatest footballers who ever lived. He was one of the greatest men ever to play the game."[18] He also noted that Charles is the only footballing great to be world class in two very different positions.Giampiero Boniperti, the captain ofJuventus when Charles had joined theBianconeri, spoke of the Welshman's nature as a person: "I would say he was from another world because of his human qualities. John was one of the most loyal and honest people I have ever met, a very special person. He managed to keep the whole team united, and any quarrels or arguments quietened down as soon as he appeared on the pitch or in the dressing room."[19]Jack Charlton said of his former teammate, "John Charles was a team unto himself. People often say to me, 'Who was the best player you ever saw?', and I answer that it was probablyEusébio,Di Stéfano,Cruyff, Pelé orour Bob. But the most effective player I ever saw, the one that made the most difference to the performance of the whole team, was without question John Charles."[20] Charles' sporting behaviour led international refereeClive Thomas to say "If you had 22 players of John's calibre, there would be no need for referees – only time-keepers."[21]
In 1998, theFootball League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Charles on its list of100 League Legends. In 2002, Charles became an inaugural inductee to theEnglish Football Hall of Fame. On 29 November 2003, to celebrateUEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as theGolden Player of Wales by theFootball Association of Wales as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.[22] In 2004, Charles was voted at number 19 in the100 Welsh Heroes poll.[23] On 7 March 2018, Charles had one ofGreat Western Railway'sIntercity Express Trains named after him.[24] In August 2019, a social housing complex named "Clos John Charles" was opened on the site of a former primary school inCwmbwrla,Swansea.
The John Charles Lounge inAberystwyth Town's ground is named after Charles. TheJohn Charles Centre for Sport inLeeds is named after Charles. The West stand atElland Road is named "The John Charles Stand" and the entrance lobby to the Banqueting Suite attached to the back of the stand contains a bust of Charles, in memory of all he did for the club.[25] A street near Elland Road in theLower Wortley area of Leeds is named John Charles Way.[26]
Charles was married twice during his life. In 1953, he married Margaret "Peggy" White; the couple had four sons together. They divorced in 1982. In 1988, Charles married Glenda Vero, whom he remained married to until his death in 2004.[14] The Charles name continued in football through nephewJeremy Charles, who also represented Wales, and grandsonJake Charles, who has represented Wales at youth level.
Following his retirement from football, Charles became the landlord of the New Inn public house on Elland Road,Churwell,Leeds which later was also managed by another Leeds United player and Wales international,Byron Stevenson.[27] On 16 June 2001, as part ofthat year'sQueen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire "for services to Association Football".[28] Until shortly before his death he continued to attend every Leeds United home game. In 2002, he was made avice-president of theFootball Association of Wales, and in 2003, he was granted the freedom of the city ofSwansea. There was a campaign to knight Charles,[29] but it never came to fruition.
In January 2004, he suffered aheart attack shortly before an interview for Italian television, and required the partial amputation of one foot for circulation reasons before he was returned to Britain. He died in Pinderfields Hospital,Wakefield,West Yorkshire, early on 21 February 2004. His widow, Glenda, bequeathed his ashes to the city of Swansea.[30]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | European Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 1948-49 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 1949–50 | 42 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 47 | 1 | |||
| 1950–51 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | |||
| 1951–52 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| 1952–53 | 40 | 26 | 1 | 1 | — | 41 | 27 | |||
| 1953–54 | 39 | 42 | 2 | 1 | — | 41 | 43 | |||
| 1954–55 | 40 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | 42 | 12 | |||
| 1955–56 | 42 | 29 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 29 | |||
| 1956–57 | First Division | 40 | 38 | 1 | 1 | — | 41 | 39 | ||
| Total | 298 | 150 | 19 | 4 | — | 317 | 154 | |||
| Juventus | 1957–58 | Serie A | 34 | 28 | 4 | 1 | — | 38 | 29 | |
| 1958–59 | 30 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 24 | ||
| 1959–60 | 34 | 23 | 3 | 3 | — | 37 | 26 | |||
| 1960–61 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 16 | ||
| 1961–62 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 10 | ||
| Total | 151 | 93 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 179 | 105 | ||
| Leeds United | 1962–63 | Second Division | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 3 | |
| Roma | 1962–63 | Serie A | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 13 | 4 | |
| Cardiff City | 1963–64 | Second Division | 33 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 11 | |
| 1964–65 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 1965–66 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 4 | |||
| Total | 68 | 18 | 4 | 0 | — | 72 | 18 | |||
| Career total | 538 | 268 | 44 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 592 | 284 | ||
Leeds United
Juventus
Cardiff City
Wales
Individual
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
