Old stagers who saw him in his prime still speak of the brilliance of Alfred Charles, dubbed by the British Guiana football fans "King Charles" in the 1930's. And a king of football he truly was, although by all standards he had a short career on the local scene and a brief one as a professional with Burnley in England. Seen as a potential world rater by Learie Constantine in 1931, Charles was taken up by Burnley through Constantine's contacts. He proved to be a real giant, but a cartilage operation put an end to his career in the early 1940's.

As a boy at Newtown Boys' School, Charles towered over lads his age in sheer football skills. In 1921 he was considered the best boy footballer in Port of Spain. When he left school he played a few seasons in the Second Division of the Trinidad Amateur Football Association and in 1929 joined the famed Everton. There he partnered the versatile Arthur Maynard in the back line and the two became the most famous pair of defencemen in the history of Trinidad football.

Charles was such an outstanding player that Everton often used him in all the positions, depending on the game. He used to move up to the forward line when things were going bad for Everton and more often than not score for his team. In 1931 in British Guiana, he was put at centre-half. He shone like a beacon in that position and so amazed the Guianese that they christened him "King Charles". Charles played a bit of cricket for Shannon, but his talents in that field were nothing in the class of his football performances where he remains in the minds of many as the best footballer produced in Trinidad.
(T&T Sports Hall of Fame bio)