Gary Charles

Born in Newham, London, Charles started his career at Clapton F.C., but first came into notability at Nottingham Forest, when he became a regular alongside Roy Keane, making his debut against Coventry in the League Cup on 2 November 1988, and his league debut against Arsenal four days later. His manager at Forest, Brian Clough, commented on his dribbling abilities by saying: "When he plays a one-two he goes like a gazelle. It's so effortless that at first it looks as if he's not moving, yet he's 40 yards up the field. In June 1991, he made his debut for England, playing two friendlies, against New Zealand on 8 June and Malaysia on 12 June. Only a few weeks earlier, Charles was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in the 1991 FA Cup Final. This was the challenge that caused Gascoigne's cruciate ligaments to tear, forcing him out of the game for a year. On 29 March 1992, he made the squad that won the Full Members Cup against Southampton. On 29 July 1993, he made a £750,000 move to Derby County, appearing 76 times for them during a two-year spell, which included honours for PFA Team of the Year in 1993–94. On 6 January 1995, he signed with Aston Villa for a fee close to £1.4m, and assumed a regular starting role, although he was frequently injured, being out for two seasons recovering from a serious ankle injury. He appeared in 80 league matches in three and a half years with the Villans, winning one League Cup. On 14 January 1999, Charles moved abroad, joining Benfica in…

In October 2011, Charles joined Lincoln City as assistant manager alongside manager David Holdsworth, but has since become the director of football at the University of Nottingham. On 29 March 2018 it was announced that he had accepted the manager's position at National League North side Nuneaton Town. In June 2018, he was replaced as manager at Nuneaton by Nicky Eaden.

After the end of his playing career, Charles struggled with alcoholism. He however overcame these difficulties and has attained his UEFA A Coaching licence. In 2018, Charles was reported as being a recovering alcoholic with a business providing care to people who are experiencing depression and alcohol and drug dependency. His son, Jaden, made his professional debut in May 2021.

Nottingham Forest

Full Members Cup: 1991–92 FA Cup runner-up: 1990–91 Aston Villa

Football League Cup: 1995–96 Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 1993–94 First Division