John Charles, 72; British Soccer Great

The “Gentle Giant” will finally be laid to rest.

John Charles, one of the greatest soccer players of his generation, died Saturday in Wakefield, England. He was 72.

The player who became known as “Il Buon Gigante” during his playing time in Italy in the 1950s and ‘60s, suffered a heart attack in Milan last month while promoting his biography, “King John.”

Subsequent circulatory and liver problems led to his being flown home to England by private jet Feb. 14.

Whether wearing the jersey of his native Wales, or those of Leeds United in England or Juventus in Italy, Charles was a player who inspired awe and affection.

There were tributes from around the world on Saturday.

In Manchester, England, the players on English champion Manchester United and on Leeds United wore black armbands and observed one minute’s silence before their game at the Old Trafford soccer stadium.

Similarly, the players on the champion Juventus will wear black armbands in their Series A match against Bologna, Italy, today, in honor of one of the club’s most revered former players.

During his five seasons with the Turin club, Charles helped Juventus win the league championship three times and the Italian Cup twice, scoring 93 goals in 155 games in a league renowned for its defense.

“We are crying for the loss of a great champion and a great man,” said Juventus vice president and former Italian international player Roberto Bettega.

“He was a person who represented in the best way the Juve spirit and who personified the sport in the purest and most beautiful manner.”

Jack Charlton, who won the World Cup with England in 1966 and later coached Ireland, played alongside Charles at Leeds United.

“John Charles was a team unto himself,” Charlton said. “He was quick, he was a very, very strong runner, and he was the greatest header of the ball I ever saw. His power in the air was phenomenal.”

Born in Swansea, Wales, Charles turned professional on his 16th birthday, joining Leeds United. In the 1953-54 English season, he scored 42 goals, a club record that still stands.

At 18, he became the youngest player to appear for Wales when he made his national team debut in 1950.

“John was one of the greatest of all Welsh players,” David Collins, general secretary of the Football Assn. of Wales, told Britain’s Sky Sports News. “His career over many years will be remembered with great fondness by many, many people.

“He was a huge man in stature, but in football ability he was immense.... ‘Gentle Giant’ was a very apt name for him -- never booked, never sent off. It was a privilege to have witnessed such a great footballer.”

Charles scored 15 goals in 38 games for Wales, with the highlight coming at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, where he led Wales to the quarterfinals, its best performance ever.

Tony Medwin was one of Charles’ teammates on that Welsh side, which was knocked out by eventual champion Brazil, led by a 17-year-old named Pele.

“John always looked like a Greek god,” Medwin told Britain’s Radio Five. “He could have become a boxer, a rugby player. He could have been anything.

“I wouldn’t say he was just the greatest player in the Welsh side, he was probably one of the greatest players in the world at that time, even though Pele was around.”

Charles is survived by his wife, Glenda, and four sons. Funeral services were pending.