In The Shadow Of A Giant

John Charles, the 'Gentle Giant' of Juventus and Wales, was the greatest footballer of his generation. So how do you follow in the footsteps of the greatest? For his younger brother Mel, it was a question that stalked his own career. From a homesick schoolboy at Leeds to playing for his home town club Swansea, Mel forever found himself in John's formidable shadow. Always the joker, and the more outgoing of the Charles brothers, larger than life Mel embarked on some hair-brained but hilarious business ventures after his football career ended, before watching son Jeremy become a Welsh international and letting his pub team play in Pele's prized shirt in Sunday league matches. Now 74, but still celebrated by Welsh football fans as one of the heroes of 1958, 'Charlo' tells his own uplifting story for the first time.

Mel Charles is one of the most popular and respected figures in Welsh football. His contribution to the sport was recognised with a lifetime service award by the Welsh FA in 2000, and he is one of five survivors the team of 1958 who were honoured with a civic reception in Cardiff in 2008. Charles now lives just a firm header away from Swansea's now derelict Vetch Field.