Being a legend within football and being Welsh is a hard thing to achieve. Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush...maybe, but without a doubt the ultimate Welsh Daddy has to be John Charles.

Charles started his career at Leeds United, where he made his debut at the age of 16. The 6ft 1in centre-back was physically strong and virtually unbeatable in the air. His impressive displays soon won him international recognition, and he became the youngest ever Welsh international player at the age of 18 years and 71 days.

Charles soon moved from defence into attack where his aerial ability was utilised to its full potential. In the 1953-54 season Charles scored 42 League goals, and a continued good run of goal scoring form saw the Leeds star attract the interest of numerous European clubs. The inevitable happened when in May 1957 Leeds accepted a world record £65,000 fee for the striker from Italian giants Juventus.

Charles, unlike so many British players who move to Italy was an undoubted success with the Turin club. During the five years he spent in Italy, the Welshman won three Italian Championship medals, an Italian Cup medal, and he also claimed one Italian Footballer of the Year prize. He left such an imprint on the Juventus faithful that Charles has since been voted the Italian clubs 'Finest Ever Forward.'

The 'Gentle Giant', as he was known by many within the game, only made 38 appearances for Wales in his distinguished career. Although, he led the Dragons to their finest ever moment in the 1958 World Cup Finals. Charles was a vital member of the Welsh team that reached the Quarter-finals of the competition in Sweden. The Welsh were beaten in the later stages by the eventual champions Brazil 1-0, with the goal coming from a young Brazilian called Pele.

After his spell with Juventus, which saw him score 108 goals, Charles returned to Leeds for £53,000 in August 1962. Unfortunately, he could not reproduce his best form for his first club, and he soon headed back to Italy when Roma came in with a £70,000 bid in October of the same year.

After a year in Rome, now aged 32, Charles returned to Wales to play for Cardiff City. With the vast amount of experience that he had amassed throughout a distinguished career, a move into management was the next natural progression. He took a player-manager's position at Hereford United in 1966, and he helped develop them into one of the best supported and most successful non-league sides of the time.