Charles, John

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John Charles

John Charles

Clubs played for: West Ham United

Born: 1944

Birthplace: Canning Town, London

Position: Full-back

Biography: Older brother of Clive who also played for West Ham United he made 118 league appearances for them between 1963-71. A defender he represented England at U 18 level & became the first black player to represent England at any level. He also captained West Ham to success in the 1963 Youth Cup Final. In 1969 he began having hamstring problems which eventually forced him to retire at only 26. Thereafter he helped run his familys greengrocer stalls & opened several more in Kent earning more than when he was playing football! With the advent of supermarkets his stalls became a lot less profitable & he became an alchoholic & had a breakdown.He had been part of West Hams drinking culture of the 1960's. He later became strong enough to get a job in a local supermarket. In 2001 he was diagnosed with cancer he was also a heavy smoker & died in 2002 aged 57.




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