John Charles - The All Time World XI Contender In Two Different Positions

John Charles arguably the greatest British Footballer of all time, yet also the most under appreciated. He doesn't seem to have the same level of hype & fame in Britain as most great British players of the last 60 years do.

Most people will put forward Bale & Giggs as the best Welsh players, yet those who saw Charles ranked him with players like Pele, Duncan Edwards, Sir Tom Finney, Di Stefano & Puskas of his era.

Some players in history have had great all round games & versatility, John Charles though might be the only player in history proven World XI level in two different positions season after season.

"Regarded as one of the greatest British footballers of all-time, Charles was a versatile footballer who was capable of playing both as a centre-forward and as a centre-back.

As a striker, he was renowned for being a prolific goalscorer, as he was capable of scoring with either foot, courtesy of his powerful and accurate shot; due to his height, physique, and strength, as well as his heading power and accuracy, he also excelled in the air, which made him an aerial goal threat.

Despite his size, he was also a fast player, with good technical skills and passing ability, which allowed him both to score and create goals. In addition to his ability, he was also known for his correct behaviour on the pitch, which along with his stature, earned him the nickname Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant)."


"In the foreword for Charles' autobiography, Sir Bobby Robson described him as "incomparable" and classed him among the all-time footballing greats such as Pelé, Diego Maradona and George Best, saying "Incomparable. John wasn't only one of the greatest footballers who ever lived. He was one of the greatest men ever to play the game."
He also noted that Charles is the only footballing great to be world class in two very different positions."


Jack Charlton said of his former teammate, "John Charles was a team unto himself. People often say to me, 'Who was the best player you ever saw?', and I answer that it was probably Eusébio, Di Stéfano, Cruyff, Pelé or our Bob. But the most effective player I ever saw, the one that made the most difference to the performance of the whole team, was without question John Charles."

"The Welshman reaped the rewards and his statistics at Juventus were simply outstanding – 108 goals in 155 matches, three Serie A titles and one Coppa Italia. Charles’ legendary status was later cemented when fans voted him the best foreign player in the club’s history during Juve’s centenary celebrations."


Some of the goals from this channel, a lot of great footage of other legends to.    / @vmsoccerlegends