John Charles in Sweden, 1958: Leeds at the World Cup
John Charles was a proud Welshman who, like many footballers, loved representing his country. He faced a barrier to his international aspirations, though, because he was the best player in the world.
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A quirk of Leeds United's World Cup history is that our first two World Cup representatives lined up simultaneously, in 1958 in Sweden, in different games. Wilbur Cush started for Northern Ireland against Czechoslovakia in Halmstad at the same time on the same day as John Charles for Wales against Hungary in Sandviken. They both scored, too, Cush netting six minutes before King John.
Charles, by then, was no longer a Leeds United player, and as a consequence he was very nearly not a World Cup player. He'd been with Juventus for a year, since transferring for just £7,000 under the world record of the time, time enough to discover what he'd gained and what he'd lost. The gain was simple: he'd won the scudetto in his first season, and as Serie A's top scorer he'd earned the love of Juve's fans and the respect of the nation. He was enjoying a luxurious lifestyle and millions of lira in bonuses, too, and whenever he met up with the Welsh squad, he formed a well-dressed, well-tanned contrast to his teammates.
What he'd lost, though, was the freedom to represent his country, and see his mates, whenever he wished. He'd become captain of Wales shortly before moving to Italy, but the price of his high-profile transfer was that he now had a price. Umberto Agnelli, one of the millionaire owners of car-manufacturer Fiat and the man who bankrolled Juventus, had paid too much to Leeds and was paying too much to Charles, and getting too big a return for Juve, to risk him being absent or injured in environments beyond his control.
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