A Welsh great who entranced Italy
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| JOHN CHARLES FACT BOX |
Nickname: The Gentle Giant (Il Buon Gigante)
Internationals: 38 Welsh caps, 15 goals
English League: 377 matches, 172 goals
Italian League: 165 matches, 97 goals
1931: Born near Swansea, December 27.
1947: Signed for Leeds United on his 16th birthday.
1949: Made Leeds debut aged 17 years four months.
1950: Aged 18 years 71 days became youngest ever Wales international.
1957: Joined Juventus for a then-British record transfer fee of 65,000 pounds.
1958: Won the first of three Serie A titles with Juventus. Helped Wales reach the World Cup quarterfinals in Sweden.
1962: Returned to Leeds United for 53,000 pounds but played only played 11 games for the club before returning to Italy, joining Roma in a 70,000 pounds deal.
1963: Joined Cardiff City.
1966: Became player-manager of Hereford United.
1971: Left Hereford and later coached at Swansea and was manager of Merthyr Tydfil.
1987: Became technical director of Hamilton Steelers in Canadian Soccer League before leaving the game to run a pub, a toy shop and a children's clothes shop.
2004: Emergency heart operation in Italy. Had part of his right foot amputated. Died February 21 in Wakefield hospital. |
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LONDON, England (Reuters) -- John Charles was the "gentle giant" of Welsh football who left Leeds United to become one of the greatest players to wear the famous black-and-white shirt of Juventus.
Charles, the first top British player to make a mark in Italian soccer, could also play center-half and in midfield but he will be remembered as one of the most intimidating center forwards of the post-war era.
He played nine seasons at Leeds, scoring 147 goals in 200 games before moving to Turin where he played five seasons, scoring 93 goals in 155 matches for Juventus.
He also played for Roma and Cardiff City before retiring from soccer in 1971 after being both player and manager at non-league club Hereford Town.
Former England international Jack Charlton, at Leeds with Charles, said his team mate was the most complete player in his lifetime.
"John Charles was a team unto himself," said Charlton, a center-half.
"He was quick, he was a very, very strong runner and he was the greatest header of the ball I ever saw. His power in the air was phenomenal."
Charles played 38 times for Wales and is arguably his country's greatest player, helping them reach the quarterfinals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, their best international performance.
Charles was born in Swansea on December 27, 1931, and he joined his local south Wales club as soon as he was old enough.
But Leeds quickly snapped up Charles and he signed professional forms at Elland Road on his 16th birthday before making his league debut as a 17-year-old center-half in 1949.
The following year he became Wales's youngest international when he played against Northern Ireland aged 18 years and 71 days -- but he made a real impression only when he was moved to center forward at second division Leeds.
Record tally
In the 1952-53 season he scored 26 goals in 40 games and the next season he was top league scorer with 42, many scored with his head. That tally still stands as the club record.
Tall and built like an ox, Charles was a handful for any defender but he earned his "gentle giant" tag for his clean approach to the game. "Players have to realize that the public does not pay good money to see pettiness and childishness," he said in his autobiography.
Charles, who helped Leeds climb back into the top flight, captained his country in April 1957 against Northern Ireland. In the crowd was Umberto Agnelli, the millionaire owner of Juventus who were struggling in the Italian league.
Agnelli was so impressed by Charles that he agreed terms with Leeds within a week. For the player it was a golden chance to earn big money and escape the wage cap that existed in English soccer.
Within months of the British record 65,000-pound transfer, Charles was a household name in Italy and he helped Juventus win the title in 1958, scoring 28 goals in 34 matches in a league famed for its defenses.
The next year they won the Italian Cup and the next they secured the cup and league double.
The adulation that followed Charles's every step caused problems in his private life and in April 1962 he returned to Leeds. But his best was behind him and he subsequently regretted leaving Juventus too early.
He attempted an Italian comeback with Roma but the magic was missing and he returned to Cardiff City for a pittance. He tried management at Hereford before working as a publican and shopkeeper.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
