Charles Cros

Charles Cros, better known as Charlie Cros (22 January 1912 – 22 November 1993), was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for Montpellier, FC Sète, and Red Star in the 1930s.

Early life Born on 22 January 1912 in Saint-Ambroix, a small village in Gard, Cros began playing football at the Lycée de Montpellier, where he not only studied, but also eagerly awaited break times to play this sport, in which he soon stood out for his feints and dribbles.

Playing career Montpellier Together with several fellow students, he formed a football club named Sporting Club Montpellier, which, after some successes, ran into difficulties, prompting its members to join Montpellier HSC. The following day, the journalists of the French newspaper L'Auto (currently known as L'Équipe) stated that he "was far from repeating his remarkable exhibition against Amiens".

Sète In 1933, Cros followed his coach René Dedieu to the top-flight team FC Sète, scoring 8 goals in 20 Ligue 1 matches in his first season there, actively contributing to the title of the Sètes. Together with István Lukács, Ivan Bek, and Ali Benouna, he was a member of the Sète team that won the double, the 1933–34 French Division 1 and the French Cup, beating Olympique de Marseille 2–1 in the final, in which he did not play as Dedieu preferred Marcel Miquel. During his time at Sète, he was called up to the regional selection, and to the France B team, he was then considered as a candidate for the French team.

Later career Cros stayed at Sète for three years, from 1933 until 1936, when he signed for Red Star, with whom he played for two years, until 1938, gradually losing prominence there, perhaps due to injuries. By the time he retired in 1942, he was the only non-Cannes player in the squad. Having been reclassified as an amateur, he began earning a living as a departmental inspector of the CG (General Football Club) in Perpignan, where he played as an amateur at USA Perpignan, who won the Languedoc Championship, and later he even created a football school in the city. In 1949, he was hired by Saint Eugène in Algeria, with whom he won the North African Championship in 1950. Around 1951, he returned to his homeland to become the coach of the now-defunct in the French amateur championship. The following year, he was hired by OGC Nice as the assistant coach to Mario Zatelli, whom he replaced for the last six matches of the 1952–53 season, guiding his team to kep victories that kept the club in the first division.

Outside football, Cros sought to improve his intellectual culture, easily passing his baccalaureate and then obtaining a law degree.

Honours Montpellier Coupe de France: Runner-up (1): 1930–31

FC Sète Coupe de France: Champions (1): 1933–34

Ligue 1: Champions (1): 1933–34