John Charles

William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played at centre-forward and centre-back. Best known for his time at Leeds United and Juventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Great Britain and one of the greatest footballers ever. Charles began his career at Leeds United, having moved there in 1949 from his hometown club, Swansea Town.

He was equally adept as a defender or a forward, due to his strength, pace, technique, vision, ability in the air and eye for goal. After returning from national service in 1952, Charles began to be used more often as a forward and was the Second Division's top scorer in 1954. The following year, he was named club captain; in his first season as captain, he led the club to second place and promotion.