John Charles in his 2nd period as a Leeds United player

John Charles, CBE (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh football player. Rated one of the best all-round players in the world of his generation, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back. Image File history File links John_Charles_'62. ... Image File history File links John_Charles_'62. ... Leeds United Football Club is the only professional association football club in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

John Charles was born in Swansea and joined Leeds United at the age of 17, for whom he scored 150 goals in eight years, including 42 goals in the 1953-54 season. In 1957 he joined the Italian club Juventus F.C. for a then-British record £65,000 transfer fee. The transfer was notable as Charles became the first British professional player to be signed for an overseas team. In his five years at Juventus he scored 93 goals in 155 matches, winning the scudetto (Italian league championship) three times, and the Italian Cup twice. He won the nickname Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant), both for his size and the fact that he was never cautioned or sent off in his entire career. The respect Charles earned from Juventus fans was shown when they voted him to be the best-ever foreign player to play for their team. This is a remarkable feat at a club which has had such foreign stars as Michel Platini in its first team. Even in his later years he found it difficult to walk the streets of Turin without being mobbed. Swansea (Welsh: , mouth of the Tawe) is a city and county in South Wales in the United Kingdom, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula. ... Leeds United Football Club is the only professional association football club in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Juventus Football Club, also known as Juventus Turin (or Juventus Torino), Juventus FC, or simply Juve (Latin word for Youth, pronounced ), together with Torino F.C. 1906, are the main clubs from Turin, Italy. ... Serie A is the top division of the Italian Football League, the highest football league in Italy. ... Misconduct in football (soccer) is any conduct by a player which is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or send-off) in accordance with Law 12 the Laws of the Game. ... Misconduct in football (soccer) is any conduct by a player which is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or send-off) in accordance with Law 12 the Laws of the Game. ... Michel Platini (June 21, 1955, JÅ“uf, Département Meurthe-et-Moselle) is a former French football player, regarded as one of the most elegant midfielders of his generation and possibly the greatest French footballer of all time. ...

Following his time at Juventus F.C., he returned to Leeds United, and also played for A.S. Roma, finishing his playing career at Cardiff City. He later became manager of Hereford and Merthyr Tydfil, and technical director of the Canadian team, Hamilton Steelers. Juventus Football Club, also known as Juventus Turin (or Juventus Torino), Juventus FC, or simply Juve (Latin word for Youth, pronounced ), together with Torino F.C. 1906, are the main clubs from Turin, Italy. ... Associazione Sportiva Roma (ISE: IT0001008876) is an Italian football club and one of the major teams in Rome and in central part of Italy. ... Cardiff City Association Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff. ... Hereford United Football Club is a football team based in Hereford, England. ... Merthyr Tydfil F.C. is a Welsh football team from Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. ...

John Charles first played for the Wales national team shortly after his 18th birthday and was the heart of the side which made it to the quarter finals of the 1958 Football World Cup (the country's only appearance in the World Cup), but was defeated 1-0 by eventual winners Brazil (a goal by the emerging Pelé) in his absence due to injury. First International Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Largest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Worst defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none (First... The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe,In Bern, Switzerland in June 1954 in its congress with 32 votes FIFA gives the right to hold the event to Sweden. ... The FIFA World Cup Trophy, which has been awarded to the world champions since 1974. ... Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil), best known by his cool nickname Pelé, is the best player in the world, yes even better than Diego Armando Maradona, Pele was a former Brazilian football player. ...

Following his retirement, he ran a pub in Yorkshire for many years. He was awarded a CBE in 2001, and until shortly before his death he still attended every Leeds United home game. In 2002 he was made a vice-president of the Football Association of Wales, and in 2003, he was granted the freedom of the city of Swansea. There was a campaign to knight John Charles, but, in the end, this never happened resulting only in a CBE. Charles became an Inaugural Inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. The West Stand of the Elland Road Stadium is named "The John Charles Stand" in his honour for the great service he provided to Leeds United and a bust has been created, financed by Leeds United Chairman Ken Bates, to be displayed in the entrance to the banqueting suite (attached to the back of The John Charles Stand) in his remembrance ^[1] Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals personal bravery, achievement or service to the United Kingdom. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Leeds United Football Club is the only professional association football club in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... VP also stands for Verb phrase. ... The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of football in Wales, being a member of both FIFA and UEFA. Established in 1876, it is the third-oldest association in the world, and is one of the five associations (with the English Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Hall of Fame is housed at The National Football Museum in Preston, England. ... Elland Road is the home stadium of the football team Leeds United. ... Leeds United Football Club is the only professional association football club in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. ... Ken Bates (born 4 December 1931 in Ealing, London) is a British football executive. ...

He remained greatly honoured in both Britain and Italy. In January 2004 he suffered a heart attack shortly before an interview for Italian television, and required the partial amputation of one foot for circulation reasons before he was returned to Britain. He died in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, early on 21 February 2004. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Statistics Population: 79,885 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SE335205 Administration Metropolitan Borough: City of Wakefield Metropolitan county: West Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (West Riding) Services Police force: West Yorkshire Police Ambulance service... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

John had a brother, Mel Charles and a nephew Jeremy Charles, who also represented Wales. Melvyn Charles (born 14 May 1935) is a Welsh former professional footballer. ...

On the 29th November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Wales by the Football Association of Wales as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.^[2] UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh) or ), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... In 2004, when Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) celebrated its 50th anniversary, each member association selected its best player from 1954 to 2003. ... The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of football in Wales, being a member of both FIFA and UEFA. Established in 1876, it is the third-oldest association in the world, and is one of the five associations (with the English Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the...

Ability

John Charles is considered by many to have been the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Britain. It wasn't just that he was comfortable playing either centre-half or centre-forward. He was world class in both positions. He was supremely talented, possessing a delicate first touch and good control, and in the air he was masterful. Not just because of his spectacular ability to rise above defences, but also the awesome1 power with which he could head the ball.

Notes

External links

• English Football Hall of Fame Profile
• UEFA.com - Wales' Golden Player
• John Charles - A True Leeds United Legend - LeedsUnited.com
• Leeds United Fan Club - John Charles