Ex-Wales striker Charles has heart op

[Salem6]

MILAN (Reuters) - Former Wales and Juventus striker John Charles has undergone emergency heart surgery, the Italian news agency ANSA has reported.

Charles was admitted to Milan's San Carlo hospital late on Tuesday night and had an emergency two-hour operation on his heart.

The 72-year-old, who won three Italian titles with Juventus after making his name with Leeds United, was visited by friends and family on Wednesday and his condition was described as 'normal', ANSA reported.

Charles, born in Cwmdu near Swansea in south Wales, was due to have appeared as a guest on a popular Italian sports television programme on Tuesday night.

Known as the 'Gentle Giant', Charles, who could play as a central defender or striker, is considered to be one of Juve's all-time great players. He won 38 Wales caps.



www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=sportsNews&storyID=434800§ion=news

[Salem6]

Welsh football legend John Charles is facing "critical days" after undergoing emergency surgery for a burst blood vessel.

The 71-year-old former Leeds, Swansea, and Juventus player collapsed during a promotional tour of Italy.


John Charles has asked the Italian football scores from his bed

He was rushed to hospital on Tuesday moments before he was due to appear on a television show in Italy, where he remains a hero to football fans.

But surgeons said on Thursday that Charles, who was dubbed "Il Bon Gigante" or Gentle Giant, during his successful five years in Italy, had asked for the latest Italian football scores and was in good spirits.

His surgeon, Dr Piergiorgio Settembrini, said Charles was still on the critical list but was showing signs of improvement after an operation to correct the blood flow in his major artery.

He added: "The patient is recovering well from a serious vascular operation, and we are optimistic.

"I saw him this morning, and he is feeling better than yesterday.

"These are critical days." Dr Settembrini led the medical team which carried out the two-hour abdominal aortic aneurism operation on Charles on Tuesday.

"The operation technically went well," added Dr Settembrini.

"He went straight to the post-operation ward without needing resuscitation.

'Good spirits'

"He will have to spend two or three days in observation - but if all goes well he will remain in hospital for 10 more days.

"I had a chat with him this morning, and he is smiling.

"He asked me about the Serie A football results, which shows that he is in good spirits.

"He is strong and he can resist the pain well."

Charles, who published his autobiography - King John - in August, was due to be reunited with his former Juventus strike partner, Omar Sivori, on the sports TV show Domenica Sportiva when he became ill.


Charles was called the Gentle Giant in his playing days

Surgeons in Milan worked to fit a stent - a device to keep his arteries open.

Doctors are hopeful that Charles - who was capped 38 times by Wales and played in the 1958 World Cup - will make a full recovery.

He has had to cope with two serious illnesses over the last few years: he was diagnosed with blood cancer and in 1997 had a tumour removed from his bladder.

After several years of chemotherapy he has been in remission for the last two years.

He has also had to cope with Alzheimer's, which has not yet affected his long-term memory .

Born in 1931, Charles was signed by Leeds United as a 15-year-old and made his Wales debut in 1950 at the age of 18.

Standing 6ft 2ins tall and almost 14 stone, he was the First Division's top marksman in 1957 with 38 goals, and signed for Juventus that August.

During his five years in northern Italy, the Turin club won three championships and two Italian cups, with Charles, who was equally at home at centre-half and centre-forward, scoring a remarkable 93 goals in 155 games.

[Salem6]

By Charlie Norton
(Filed: 09/01/2004)



John Charles remains in a critical condition after emergency heart surgery in Italy, his wife Glenda, talking from his hospital bedside in Milan, said yesterday.

Charles, 72, was admitted to the San Carlo Hospital late on Tuesday night after falling ill in an Italian television studio just before a live link-up with his old Juventus strike partner, Omar Sivori, in Argentina. He underwent an emergency two-hour operation on his heart.


Welsh wonder: John Charles' stature terrified defences


Mrs Charles said: "I'm sat by him now. He's very poorly and he's certainly not out of the woods. They won't say whether he's going to be all right.

"The main aorta to his heart is ruptured and they had to cut a piece out and replace it with plastic. Fortunately, there was a doctor in the studio when he fell ill."

Dr Piergiorgio Settembrini, Charles's surgeon, said he was still on the critical list. "The patient is recovering well from a serious vascular operation and we are optimistic. The operation went technically well."

Mrs Charles added: "We have had so much support from friends over here - the Italians have been absolutely fantastic."

The popularity of Charles, who won three Italian titles with Juventus between 1957-62 after making his name with Leeds, has never waned in Italy, where he is considered one of Juve's all-time great players.

Charles is in remission from cancer. He had a tumour removed from his bladder in 1997 and has endured several years of chemotherapy. He has also had to cope with Alzheimers, the debilitating brain disease.

Born in Cwmdu near Swansea in 1931, Charles was known as 'Il bon gigante' in Italy where his 6ft 2in stature was as much at home in defence as in attack.

He scored 93 goals in 155 games for Juventus at a time when defence dominated Serie A. Charles also won 38 caps for Wales.


www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2004/01/09/sfncha09.xml&sSheet=/sport/2004/01/09/ixfooty.html

[Salem6]

By Rick Broadbent



JOHN CHARLES, the former Wales, Juventus and Leeds United player, was fighting for his life in an Italian hospital last night after having a second emergency operation. The 72-year-old has developed liver problems after surgery to remove a blood clot in his leg and is in intensive care.

The “Gentle Giant”, as he became known during an illustrious career, collapsed in Milan last week and underwent heart surgery. It had been hoped he would make a swift recovery, but his situation was described yesterday as “critical”. Glenda, his wife, said: “He’s not doing too well and he had to have another operation. It’s a case of waiting to see how he pulls through. I’m touched by the response of people back home.”




www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,27-961901,00.html

[Salem6]

The surgeon who carried out emergency surgery on John Charles says he is confident the Welsh football legend will make a full recovery.
The former Leeds, Juventus, Swansea and Cardiff striker underwent a two-hour heart operation at Milan's San Carlo Borromeo hospital a week ago.

Charles, 72, had been taken ill as he was about to appear on an Italian TV sports programme.

Despite further complications - Charles had a second operation to remove a blood clot in his leg - Professor Piergiorgio Settembrini, said he was confident Charles would "make a full recovery in the next two weeks."

"He was in a bad condition when he arrived here because the clot was enlarging quickly and had nearly cut off the blood supply," said the professor.


Italian fans labelled Charles the Gentle Giant

"But we're confident he'll make a full recovery in the next two weeks."

The footballing hero was now in a stable condition, and "improving a little bit every day".

Charles, who published his autobiography last summer, had been on a promotional tour of Italy when he was first taken ill on 4 January.

He had been due to be reunited with his former strike partner at Juventus, Omar Sivori, and appear on a television show together.

Originally from Cwmdu near Swansea, Charles transferred to the Italian side in 1957, after first making his name with Leeds United.

He scored 93 goals in 155 league appearances with the Italian club and helped them win three league titles.

His 6ft 2in, 14 stone frame won him the affectionate title 'Il Bon Gigante' or Gentle Giant with the Italian fans.

The player also had 38 caps for his own country and took part in the 1958 World Cup.

More recently he has had to cope with two serious illness - blood cancer and a tumour of the bladder.