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John Charles

1944–2002

United Kingdom

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Biography

John William Charles (9 September 1944 – 17 August 2002) was an English footballer who played for West Ham United as a defender. Nicknamed ″Charlo″, Charles was the first black player to represent England at Under-18 and any level within the National team. Charles was the first black player to play for a first division West Ham United side when he made his debut in 1963.

Sources & collection details

Wikipedia contributors — original record ↗

Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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