There have been 32 players from the United Kingdom and Ireland who have played in Italy over the years. I set out below 10 players who I feel made the biggest impact during their time in the land of Calcio.
John Charles
Undoubtedly the greatest of the British and Irish players who graced the football pitch in Italy, Charles was affectionately known as Il Gigante Buono (the Gentle Giant) by the Juventus fans. He joined La Vecchia Signora from Leeds United in 1957, and went on to make 155 Serie A appearances, scoring 108 goals in the process. His first three games were beyond his wildest dreams and cemented him in the hearts of the Juventini, scoring the winning goal against Hellas Verona, Udinese and Genoa. Juventus won the Scudetto that season, and Charles finished Capocannoniere with 28 goals.
Over his 5 years at Juve, Charles won 3 Scudetti and 2 Coppa Italia, and his recognition by the Juventini was shown when he was named their best ever foreign player during the club’s centenary year in 1997. In the later years of his life, Charles faced significant economic difficulties following the failure of several businesses which he owned, including a hotel, a sports shop and 2 pubs, but the Agnelli family came to his rescue just as he had come to Juve’s rescue on many occasions.
He left Juve in the summer of 1962 to return to a Leeds team now managed by Don Revie, but Charles struggled to adapt to life and the game back in England, and swiftly returned to Italy to spend the rest of the 1962-63 season playing for Roma. His time at the Giallorossi was not to be a success, despite scoring on his Roma debut against Bologna, with Charles only making 10 appearances during which he scored 4 goals.
Charles was a phenomenal player, at ease playing as a centre forward or centre half, whichever suited his team and the situation. Indeed, when representing Wales, it was customary for Charles to start up front, before dropping back to play centre half once they had taken the lead. His placid nature saw him attract harsh and occasionally vicious treatment from defenders, but he stayed true to his nickname and never once received a booking or sending off during the whole of his career.
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