When not shoring up the defence and being a giant in attack, John Charles was a part-time cabaret artiste, cutting a passable version of 'Sixteen Tons' and touring Adriatic nightclubs with a pianist and an impresario, even provoking a hissy fit from Sophia Loren because of his greater public profile. Selling him to Juventus in 1957 ensured another period of mediocrity.