John Charles

John Charles (William John Charles, 27 December 1931 to 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played at centre-forward and centre-back and is rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Great Britain. He began his career at Leeds United, having moved there in 1949 from his hometown club Swansea Town, and was the First Division's top scorer in the 1956 to 1957 season. In 1957 he joined Juventus, where he partnered Giampiero Boniperti and Omar Sivori as part of a trio known as The Holy Trident, winning the scudetto three times and the Coppa Italia twice. He later played for Roma and Cardiff City and ended his career as a player-manager in non-league football. He was never cautioned or sent off in his entire career, which earned him the nickname Il Gigante Buono, The Gentle Giant. He played for Wales from 1950 to 1965, including the 1958 FIFA World Cup with his brother Mel Charles, was included in the Football League 100 Legends in 1998 and was an inaugural inductee to the Football Hall of Fame in 2002.