John Charles facts for kids
Charles with Wales in 1954
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William John Charles | ||
| Date of birth | 27 December 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 21 February 2004 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Wakefield, England | ||
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1950–1965 | Wales | 38 | (15) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1967–1971 | Hereford United (player-manager) | ||
| 1972–1974 | Merthyr Tydfil (player-manager) | ||
| 1987 | Hamilton Steelers | ||
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William John Charles (born December 27, 1931 – died February 21, 2004) was a famous Welsh footballer. He was amazing because he could play in two very different positions: as a centre-forward (someone who scores goals) or as a centre-back (someone who stops goals). Many people thought he was the best all-around footballer ever from Britain.
He is best known for playing for Leeds United in England and Juventus in Italy. John Charles was strong, fast, and great at controlling the ball. He was also excellent at heading the ball and scoring goals.
After playing for Leeds, he moved to Juventus in Italy. There, he became known as Il Gigante Buono, which means "The Gentle Giant". This was because he was very tall and strong, but he never tried to hurt other players. He was never given a yellow or red card in his whole career!
John Charles also played for the Welsh national team for 15 years. He even played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, which was the first time Wales qualified for the tournament. In 1998, he was named one of the "Football League 100 Legends". In 2002, he was one of the first players to join the English Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Football
John Charles was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1931. He loved playing football as a child. His younger brother, Mel Charles, also became a professional footballer. They even played together for the Welsh national team later on.
When he was still at school, John joined the youth team of his local club, Swansea Town. This team later became Swansea City. When he was 14, he started working at the club's stadium. However, he was too young to play for the main team. He only played for the reserve (junior) side.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Leeds United
While playing for a local youth club called Gendros, John Charles was noticed by Leeds United. He had a trial with them in September 1948 and impressed everyone. He signed with Leeds when he was 17 years old and moved to Yorkshire.
The manager of Leeds, Major Buckley, tried John in different positions. He played as a right-back, centre-half, and left-half for the Leeds reserve team. John made his first team debut for Leeds as a centre-back in April 1949. He played against a team called Queen of the South. After the game, an opposing player said John was "the best centre half I've ever played against."
From 1950 to 1952, John was away doing his National Service in the army. The army allowed him to play for Leeds. He also captained his army team to win the Army Cup in 1952. During this time, he had operations on both of his knees.
When he returned to Leeds in 1951, he played both as a centre-forward and a centre-half. In October 1952, he started playing more often as a centre-forward. He immediately began scoring lots of goals, with 11 goals in just 6 games!
In 1955, he became the captain of Leeds United. In the 1955–56 season, he helped Leeds win promotion to the First Division. He was in amazing form, scoring 29 goals in 42 games. The next season, he scored a club record of 38 goals in 40 league games. Leeds finished 8th in the First Division. His impact was so big that reporters called the team "John Charles United." He scored 150 league goals for Leeds in eight years.
Moving to Juventus in Italy
In August 1957, John Charles joined the Italian club Juventus. This was a very big deal because he became one of the first British players to move to an overseas team.
He made his debut for Juventus in September 1957. He scored the winning goal in his first game. The next week, he scored the only goal in another win. He was the match-winner in his first three games!
In his first season in Italy, John Charles was the top scorer in Serie A (the Italian league) with 28 goals. He was also voted player of the season. Juventus won the scudetto (the Italian league championship) that year. He played for Juventus for five years, scoring 108 goals in 155 matches. He won the scudetto three times and the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) twice.
He played alongside two other great players, Omar Sívori and Giampiero Boniperti. Together, they were called The Holy Trident or The Magical Trio. John Charles was also known as Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) because he was so big and played fairly. Juventus fans loved him so much that in 1997, they voted him the club's best-ever foreign player.
Return to England and Later Career
In 1962, John Charles returned to Leeds United. However, his second time at the club was not as successful. After five years in Italy, he found it hard to get used to playing football in Britain again.
After only 11 games, he was sold to Roma, another Italian club. He scored in his first game for Roma, but this promise didn't last. A year later, he moved back to Wales to play for Cardiff City. He stayed there until 1966, which was the end of his main league career.
Later, he became a player-manager for clubs like Hereford United and Merthyr Tydfil. He also coached the youth team at Swansea City.
International Career for Wales
John Charles first played for the Welsh national team shortly after his 18th birthday.
He played for Wales in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. This was the first time Wales had ever qualified for the World Cup! Wales did very well in the group stage, drawing all their games. John Charles scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against Hungary.
Wales won a play-off match against Hungary to move forward. However, John Charles got injured in that game and couldn't play in the rest of the tournament. Wales then faced Brazil in the quarter-finals. Brazil won 1–0 with a goal from the legendary player Pelé. The Wales manager, Jimmy Murphy, believed that if John Charles had been fit, Wales might have won that match.
In total, John Charles played 38 games for Wales and scored 15 goals.
Player Profile and Legacy
How He Played
John Charles is seen as one of the greatest British footballers ever. He was amazing because he could play so well in two different positions: as a centre-forward (scoring goals) and as a centre-back (stopping goals).
As a striker, he scored many goals with both feet because he had a powerful and accurate shot. Because he was tall, strong, and great at heading, he was a big threat in the air. Even though he was big, he was also fast and had good ball control. This allowed him to both score and create goals for his team.
He was also famous for his excellent behavior on the field. He never got into trouble or tried to hurt other players. This is why he earned the nickname Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant).
His Impact and Recognition
Many famous football people have praised John Charles. Sir Bobby Robson called him "incomparable" and put him in the same group as Pelé and Diego Maradona. He said John was "one of the greatest men ever to play the game." He also noted that John Charles is the only football great to be world-class in two very different positions.
Giampiero Boniperti, the captain of Juventus when John joined, said John was "from another world because of his human qualities." He called John "one of the most loyal and honest people I have ever met."
In 1998, John Charles was included in the "Football League 100 Legends." In 2002, he was one of the first players to be inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. In 2003, UEFA chose him as the "Golden Player" of Wales. This meant he was the most outstanding Welsh player of the past 50 years.
Many places are named after him to honor his legacy. The John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds is named after him. The West stand at Elland Road (Leeds United's stadium) is called "The John Charles Stand." There is also a street near the stadium called John Charles Way.
Personal Life and Passing
John Charles was married twice and had four sons with his first wife. His family continued his football legacy, with his nephew Jeremy Charles and grandson Jake Charles also playing football for Wales at different levels.
After he stopped playing, John Charles ran a pub in Leeds. In 2001, he was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to football. He continued to attend every Leeds United home game until shortly before he passed away.
In 2003, he was given the freedom of the city of Swansea, his hometown. John Charles passed away on February 21, 2004.
Honours
Leeds United
- Second Division runners-up: 1955–56
Juventus
- Serie A: 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61
- Coppa Italia: 1958–59, 1959–60
Cardiff City
- Welsh Cup: 1963–64, 1964–65
Wales
- British Home Championship: 1959–60; runners-up: 1960–61, 1961–62
- FIFA World Cup quarter-finalist: 1958
Individual
- English First Division Top Scorer: 1956–57
- Serie A Top Goal-scorer: 1957–58
- Ballon d'Or – Third place: 1959
- UEFA Golden Player: Wales
See also
In Spanish: John Charles para niños
