John Charles

The ‘Gentle Giant’, John Charles became the youngest-ever Wales soccer cap in 1950 at the age of 18 years 71 days and netted 42 league goals for Leeds United in 1953-54 despite spending much of his time in defence. He played for Wales at the 1958 World Cup and spent five successful years with top Italian league side Juventus. Enjoyed further success at Leeds, Roma and Cardiff City before being player-manager of both Hereford and Merthyr. Consistently voted Wales’ greatest footballer.

A full biography of John Charles will appear here shortly.