| Shea Charles | |
| Full Name: | Shea Emmanuel Charles |
| Birth Date: | 5 November 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Manchester, England |
| Height: | 1.89m (06.2feet)[1] |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Sheffield Wednesday (on loan from Southampton) |
| Clubnumber: | 44 |
| Youthyears1: | 2011–2023 |
| Youthclubs1: | Manchester City |
| Years1: | 2023 |
| Clubs1: | Manchester City |
| Caps1: | 1 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2023– |
| Clubs2: | Southampton |
| Caps2: | 32 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) |
| Caps3: | 15 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018 |
| Nationalteam1: | Northern Ireland U16 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2021 |
| Nationalteam2: | Northern Ireland U19 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam3: | Northern Ireland U21 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam4: | Northern Ireland |
| Nationalcaps4: | 23 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 17:01, 1 December 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 21:47, 18 November 2024 (UTC) |
Shea Emmanuel Charles (born 5 November 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, on loan from club Southampton, and the Northern Ireland national team.
Shea Emmanuel Charles[2] was born on 5 November 2003[3] in Manchester.[4] He is of Northern Irish descent through his mother.[5] He joined the Manchester City academy as a seven year old.[6]
Progressing through the Citizens youth teams, he became a key player for the under-23 squad during the 2021–22 season, winning the Premier League 2,[7] whilst still playing with the under-18, as they also won the national competition.[8] [9] During that season, the young player was also first called by Pep Guardiola to train with the Premier League squad.
On 22 February 2023, Charles was named as a substitute for City's UEFA Champions League last-16 tie away at RB Leipzig.[10] On 28 May 2023, Charles made his Premier League debut coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute in the last game of the season against Brentford in a 1–0 defeat.[11]
On 12 July 2023, Charles joined EFL Championship side Southampton on a four-year contract.[12] He made his professional debut for the club on 8 August 2023 in a 3–1 defeat to Gillingham in the EFL Cup.[13] On 12 August 2023, Charles made his first appearance in the league for Southampton in a 4–4 draw against Norwich City, replacing Stuart Armstrong in the 65th minute.[14] During a 0–1 victory against Queens Park Rangers on 23 December 2023, he received a red card following a second bookable offence for a foul on Albert Adomah.[15] [16]
On 27 August 2024, Charles signed for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan, joining his younger brother Pierce Charles at the club.[17] Charles made his debut starting against Millwall in the 3–0 defeat on 31 August 2024.[18] He scored his first professional goal in the 93rd minute to beat Coventry City 2–1 on 5 October 2024.[19] The same month he won Wednesday's player of the month award.[20]
Shea Charles was capped by Northern Ireland from the U16 to the U21: playing two games with the under-16,[21] [22] he later became a key player with the under-19[23] —after the covid pandemic had halted junior competitions for most of 2020 and 2021—, winning two friendlies against Faroe Islands in 2021,[24] [25] before playing the Euro qualifiers.[26] [27] With the under-21, he played two games against Slovakia[28] and France[29] in March 2022.
First called to the senior team by Ian Baraclough in May 2022, Charles made his international debut for Northern Ireland on 2 June 2022, coming on as a substitute for George Saville in the 79th minute of the UEFA Nations League match against Greece.[30] [31] He made his first start three days later on 5 June, in another Nations League match against Cyprus.[32]
Able to play as a defensive midfielder, a centre-back, a centre midfielder or a full-back, Charles is described as an athletic and technical player, already showing a great mentality from an early age.[33]
His younger brother Pierce, is also a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.[34]
| Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Manchester City U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2022–23 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||||||
| Manchester City | 2022–23 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Southampton | 2023–24 | Championship | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2024–25 | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 59 | 1 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 0 | ||
Southampton
2024[35]