Charles Austin (born 5 July 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Southern League Premier Division South club AFC Totton.

[4] He returned to the Premier League in January 2016 when he signed for Southampton, scoring the winning goal against Manchester United on his debut.

[6] Austin departed Hungerford in 2008 and was briefly on the books of Thatcham Town but ultimately left without making any appearances for the club.

Moving with his family to Bournemouth, he then switched to nearby semi-professional Wessex League Premier Division team Poole Town while also working as a bricklayer.

[12] He made his debut appearance for Swindon Town on 6 October in a 1–1 draw with Exeter in the 2009–10 Football League Trophy, replacing Ben Hutchinson as a substitute in the 88th minute.

[16] After forming a successful strike partnership with Billy Paynter and scoring 10 goals in 11 starts, Austin was rewarded with an extended two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in February 2010.

[21] Disappointed at Swindon's reluctance to sell, Austin subsequently stated he was eager to play at a higher level and handed in a transfer request.

[24] In his first full season with Burnley, Austin scored 16 goals in the Championship and finished the campaign as the club's top goalscorer in the league.

[38] By scoring a league hat-trick for QPR, Austin became the first Rangers player in more than ten years to achieve the feat, last performed by Jamie Cureton on 28 September 2004.

[40][41] On 16 January 2016, Austin returned to the Premier League, joining Southampton on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported fee of £4 million.

[42] He made his debut for the club a week later against Manchester United, coming on as a second-half substitute for Sadio Mané, and scored a late winner, turning in a free-kick from James Ward-Prowse.

[49] Austin signed for Championship club West Bromwich Albion on 8 August 2019 on a two-year contract for a £4 million fee.

[52] Austin finished the 2019–20 season as the club's top scorer with 11 goals in all competitions, helping secure West Brom's return to the Premier league.

Austin left Queens Park Rangers at the end of the 2021–22 season after not making enough appearances to trigger a contract extension.

[citation needed] On 14 December, Austin left Brisbane after requesting a mutual termination of his contract, citing "family related reasons".

[64] In July 2024, Austin returned to non-league football to sign for Southern League Premier Division side AFC Totton.

[68][69] Austin was found guilty of assault in 2013 after he punched a man who had accused him of taking drugs in a Swindon nightclub toilet cubicle.