Shea Charles

Shea Emmanuel Charles (born 5 November 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Southampton and the Northern Ireland national team.

Early life
Shea Emmanuel Charles was born on 5 November 2003 in Manchester. He is of Northern Irish descent through his mother. He joined the Manchester City academy as a seven year old.

Manchester City
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, whilst still playing with the under-18, as they also won the national competition. 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. 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.

Southampton
On 12 July 2023, Charles joined EFL Championship side Southampton on a four-year contract. He made his professional debut for the club on 8 August 2023 in a 3–1 defeat to Gillingham in the EFL Cup. 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. 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.

International career
Shea Charles was capped by Northern Ireland from the U16 to the U21: playing two games with the under-16,  he later became a key player with the under-19 —after the covid pandemic had halted junior competitions for most of 2020 and 2021—, winning two friendlies against Faroe Islands in 2021,  before playing the Euro qualifiers. With the under-21, he played two games against Slovakia and France 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. He made his first start three days later on 5 June, in another Nations League match against Cyprus.

Style of play
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.

Honours
Southampton
 * EFL Championship play-offs: 2024