One of the first British players to ply his trade on the Continent, John Charles was dubbed “The Gentle Giant" by Juventus fans, the club he joined in 1957. It was an affectionate and appropriate nickname, for Charles, with a magnificent physique, was a strong and powerful footballer Yet, despite his strength and the many physical battles he fought in a 16-year careen both as a centre-half and centre-foPvvard, he was never once booked.
Charles began his career at Leeds United as a central defender It was in the 1953-54 season that he showed his credentials as a striken hitting 42 league goals for Leeds, a record to this day.
When he joined Juventus for a record ?67,000, he made an immediate impact, hitting 28 goals in 34 games in his first season in Italy. He became Serie A’s top marksman and his goals helped Juve to win the Italian championship. By the time he left Italy in 1962, he had a tally of 93 goals in 155 games. During Charles’s five years at the club Juventus won the league title three times and the cup twice.
He became the youngest player ever to be capped for Wales.
Even though he had played only a few games for Leeds, he was picked to join the line-up for what turned out to be a goalless draw against Northern Ireland at Wrexham on 8 March 1950; he was just 18 years 71 days old. Although he missed Wales’s greatest moment in international football, Charles was a key figure in his country’s achievement in reaching the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup.
An injury sustained during a tough play-off battle with Hungary meant that Wales had to face the competition’s eventual winners,
Brazil, without Charles, going down I -0.
After a spell back at Elland Road, Charles wound down his career with Roma and Cardiff City.
World History
