It was June 1989. A home Copa America was about to begin and Charles, then 21 and a Bahia player, had not long since broken into the national set-up. He didn't know what to do. Unable to find anybody from the Brazilian FA, he ended up following the order to leave.
The young forward had just finished dinner at Brazil's team hotel in the north-eastern city of Salvador when the president of local side Bahia stormed in. "You can pack your bags because you are not staying here," yelled Paulo Maracaja as he grabbed Charles by the arm.