# Shea Charles

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 Premier League 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.

## Club career
### Manchester City

Progressing through the City 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.

#### Sheffield Wednesday (loan)

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. Charles made his debut starting against Millwall in the 3–0 defeat on 31 August 2024. He scored his first professional goal in the 93rd minute to beat Coventry City 2–1 on 5 October 2024. The same month he won Wednesday's player of the month award. On 15 January, Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri confirmed during a fans forum, that Charles was being recalled by Southampton but would still be available for their next two games. On 24 January 2025, it was confirmed that Charles had returned to Wednesday for the remainder of the season.

## 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.

## Personal life

His younger brother Pierce, is also a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 16 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Manchester City U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Manchester City U21 | 2022–23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Manchester City U21 | Total | 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 |
| Southampton | 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Southampton | Total | Total | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2024–25 | Championship | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 68 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 80 | 1 |
* 1 2 Appearances in EFL Trophy
* ↑ Appearance in Championship play-offs

### International

    As of match played 18 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Northern Ireland | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 2023 | 9 | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 2024 | 10 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 23 | 0 |

## Honours

Southampton
* EFL Championship play-offs: 2024