For 3 Added Minutes, Matthew Gregory compiled a list of the 10 best footballers named Charles in history. He took some creative linguistic licence with a few (Carli Lloyd is in the list, for example) but there’s no judgement from me. Here’s another one:
Karol Poborský
Before we start – yes, Karol is a variation on Charles. Or rather, they come from the same etymological root. Go and argue about it with Susie Dent, if you like. Anyway, Poborský won titles with Manchester United, Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague, but will always be best remembered for his flowing locks and for his role in the Czech Republic’s run to the final of Euro 1996, and, in particular, for that lobbed goal against Portugal.
The funny thing is that he scored an almost identical goal against the same goalkeeper – Vítor Baia – a few years later while playing for Benfica, and nothing he achieved that summer was any kind of bottled lightning. He earned 118 caps for his country and scored over a hundred career goals from the right wing, playing in four different countries. Sadly, the now long-retired winger has gotten rid of the hair.