JOHN CHARLES
FORWARD/ DEFENDER
Was John Charles a better striker or a better defender? In truth, it didn’t matter.
Nat Lofthouse described Charles as the best central defender he’d ever come up against, while England skipper Bobby Moore ranked him as the best forward. Wherever the talented Welshman was playing on the pitch, he would stand out as a world- class performer; a beacon for his team- mates to follow.
The 6ft 2in legend for Leeds and Juventus – where he formed the Holy Trinity with Omar Sivori and Giampiero Boniperti – enchanted Europe in the 1950s and early ’ 60s with his powerful displays, supreme aerial ability and fearsome finishing, and yet it was his temperament that won him so many hearts.
Despite all- action displays across more than 750 career appearances, Charles never received a card of either colour, and his reputation for impeccable conduct earned him the moniker Il Gigante Buono: ‘ The Gentle Giant’.
He made an inauspicious start to his international career, however. Two shaky displays against Northern Ireland and Switzerland revealed a nervous teenage defender, until he established himself in the Wales side.
Charles’ international zenith came in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden – Wales’ only World Cup appearance. Used as a striker in the finals despite starting qualification as a centre- back, Charles scored in the first group match against Hungary and, with his brother Mel shining in defence, was instrumental in Wales’ progress to the quarter- finals.
But it came at a cost. He was targeted by some over- zealous Hungarians when the two nations met for a second time in a play- off – one report said, “At corners, Charles found his arms pinioned by one opponent while another crashed into him from behind” – and a resulting injury meant he couldn’t face Brazil in the last eight. Pele, Garrincha & Co showed their skill and rode their luck as the Seleção triumphed 1- 0, but that just added to the Charles legend. Many onlookers speculated that, had the big man been fit, Wales would’ve beaten Brazil.