Tottenham Hotspur and England player Jimmy Greaves once stated that "If I were picking my all-time great British team, or even a world eleven, John Charles would be in it." Jack Charlton said of his former teammate, "John Charles was a team unto himself. People often say to me, 'Who was the best player you ever saw?', and I answer that it was probably Eusébio, Di Stéfano, Cruyff, Pelé or our Bob (Bobby Charlton). But the most effective player I ever saw, the one that made the most difference to the performance of the whole team, was without question John Charles."