Undoubtedley the most accomplished footballer of his time and, in the opinion of the vast majority of Welsh football fans, the finest footballer Wales has ever produced.

In 1949 he was spotted playing in a public park and enticed away to Leeds United, where their disciplinarian manager, Major Buckley took John under his wing.

John started out playing in the heart of defence as a centre-half, but on being switched to centre-forward he proved just as effective scoring a club record of 42 goals in one season.

In 1957, Juventus, the giant of Italian fotball, decided that John Charles was the player they wanted ... at any cost. To get their man, Juve spent a record £65,000, a figure almost double the previous record.

Il gigante buono [the gentle giant], as he was dubbed by the crowds, became an instant hit scoring 28 goals in a country notorious for its defensive football.

In 1958 John represented Wales at the World Cup in Sweden; the only time Wales have qualified for the final stages of the world cup. Wales progressed to the quarter finals where they met the favourites, Brazil. Unfortunately due to harsh treatment from defenders in previous matches, John was injured and had to watch from the sidelines as 17 year old wonder-kid, Edson Arantes di Nascimento, otherwise known as Pele, scored the only goal of the game.

After five seasons with Juventus, where he won three championships, John returned to Leeds United for a brief and unhappy spell before returning to Italy and Roma.

John ended his playing career back in Wales with Cardiff City before dabbling in football management with Hereford and Merthyr Tydfil.

In a career spanning almost 25 years with four clubs and which saw him represent his country 38 times, John Charles was never cautioned, an incredible feat considering the harsh treatment meted out to him by defences worldwide.

Career

International Appearances