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  • Billy Meredith, 'The Welsh Wizard', (1874-1958), was born at Chirk, Denbighshire, on 24 July 1874. The son of a mining family, Meredith began working at the Black Park Colliery as a pony driver and 'hutcher' when he was twelve years of age. By the 1890s his footballing skills had become apparent and he joined the ranks of Chirk's successful first-team, winning his first Welsh Cup medal in 1894. Following a brief period as a semi-professional at Wrexham, and as a professional with Northwich Victoria in the English 2nd Division, Meredith joined Manchester City in late 1894. However, he continued working underground during the week until 1896, when his club finally insisted that he give up his colliery job. From 1896 until his retirement in 1924, he remained a full-time professional, playing for both Manchester City and Manchester United. During this period, he made over 650 league appearances, played 53 FA Cup ties, appeared for Wales on 50 occasions and scored almost 200 goals. Meredith's achievements on the field made him an extremely popular footballer: in 1904 he was voted footballer of the year by the readers of one newspaper. However, his actions off the field also attracted attention. In March 1904 he was accused of attempting to bribe an opposing player to deliberately lose a vital league match. He was banned from the game for a period but re-emerged in 1907 when he also played a prominent role in the efforts to re-establish a football players' union. Meredith's come-back with Manchester United proved extremely successful; moreover, in March 1907 he led his country's first-ever Home International Championship victory.
The footballer Billy Meredith, c. 1909
Official Programme, England v Wales Football International, 1952
Official Programme, Ireland v Wales Football International, 1960
Official Programme, Wales v USSR Football International, 1965
Official Programme, Scotland v Wales Football International, 1961
  • John Charles (1931-2004) was one of the greatest all round footballers. He was comfortable playing centre-half or centre-forward and could also play full-back or midfield, if required. Such was his versatility that he managed to break the Leeds United club scoring record with 42 goals in a season at a time when he was appearing at centre-half in internationals for Wales. He made his debut for Leeds in 1949 and within a year he had become the youngest player to appear for Wales when, in March 1950 at the age of 18 years and 71 days, he was capped against Northern Ireland. In August 1957, Charles signed for Juventus for £65,000 - a record transfer fee for a British player. He was the first Briton to make the grade in Italian football and is probably the most successful export from League football to Serie A where his name is still revered. During Charles's five years with Juventus, they won three Serie A Championships and lifted the Italian Cup twice. He came back to Wales in 1963, joining Cardiff City where he played until his retirement in 1966. During his career, Charles earned 38 caps for Wales and will be rememberd as one of our greatest sportsmen. [Source: International Football Hall of Fame website (www.ifhof.com, 20/11/2002)]
The footballer John Charles by Dorrien