How John Charles became a trailblazer into foreign lands for footballers

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 9 Feb 2026 08:24 CST
• 4 min read

Analysis

Juventus signing John Charles is one of the most important football transfers of all time.

At FootballTransfers, we determine the importance of a deal based on influence, legacy or the huge impact it had on a particular club or indeed the sport as a whole.

It could be because of a record-breaking or history-making transfer fee. It could be a transfer that broke down a social, cultural or racial barrier. It could be a move that transformed the fortunes of a team and led to a period of dominance. It could be a transfer that simply transcended the sport.

In the case of Charles, he was a true trailblazer as he was one of the first footballers from the United Kingdom to move abroad and the first to move to a top European league to become a superstar.

Why did Juventus buy John Charles?

A keen footballer as a child alongside brother Mel, who also became a professional footballer, Charles started his career at youth level with Swansea before eventually earning a switch to Leeds, where he would become a professional in 1949.

His career at Leeds was interrupted due to National Service commitments but when he returned he became a goal machine, relishing playing as a striker despite previous stints as a defender.

His goalscoring exploits helped Leeds to promotion from the Second Division and in the 1956/57 season he became top goalscorer in the First Division, even though Leeds finished eighth.

The transfer

In the summer of 1957, Charles joined Juventus for a British record £65,000 fee which almost doubled the previous record.

Leeds were eager not to sell to a divisional rival, while they were in need of funds to repair the West Stand at Elland Road that had been ravaged by a fire.

Charles, who was on £18 a week at Leeds, was seduced by the glamour and riches of Italy. It has been reported that Juve owner Umberto Agnelli promised the player a huge £10k signing fee as well as extensive bonuses.

The Agnelli family used money from their Fiat empire to fund such deals and Charles was even promised a car or two, should he sign.

Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Arsenal all had their eye on the Welshman before he made the switch to Italy.

The acquisition of Charles was such a big deal for the Bianconeri that captain Giampiero Boniperti was dropped back into midfield by coach Ljubisa Brocic to accommodate the club's new centre-forward.

And, that proved a masterstroke.

Did the transfer work out?

Charles was an instant hit in Turin and struck up partnerships with Boniperti and Omar Sívori, with the three becoming known as The Holy Trident.

In his first season in Italy, he won capocannoniere award for top goalscorer, having struck 28 times in his debut campaign.

To say the deal was a success would be an understatement.

In a five-year spell with Juventus, he won three Serie A titles and four Copa Italias and in 1997 he was voted the club's greatest ever foreign player.

He returned to Leeds with a record of 108 goals in 155 appearances for the Italian giants.

Charles was also dubbed Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) during his time in Turin as, despite his towering frame and physical superiority, he became famed for never intentionally hurting an opponent. In fact, in his entire career he was never booked or sent off.

In 1959, he finished third in the Ballon d'Or behind Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid and Raymond Kopa of Real Madrid and Reims.

Legacy

Nowadays, football clubs are a cultural melting pot of players from all around the globe.

Back in the 1950s and early 1960s, though, British players in particular tended to stay within the realms of the British Isles until Charles trailblazed the way to exotic foreign lands.

In 2026, it's commonplace for British players to flourish abroad. Just look at Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid or the influx of Scottish players like Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson who are now stalwarts in Serie A for Napoli and Bologna, respectively.

There are, of course, parallels between Charles and his fellow Welshman Ian Rush, who also joined Juventus from an English First Division side.

Overall, Charles is recognised as one of the best strikers of the 60s and 70s and undoubtedly a man who forged a path for British players to not only move abroad but to succeed.

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