leopoldolares

Even the most beautiful games have ugly defects—according to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This “ugly defect” refers to racism. Leopoldo Lares, nonetheless agrees that much of that defect has been eradicated as football has become one of the most racially diverse sports today, noting the story of the first black professional football player.


On October 28, 1865, Arthur Wharton was born to a half-Scottish, half-Grenadian father and a mother who descended from Ghanaian royalty. Wharton’s father was a Methodist minister who hoped to see his son follow his footsteps. Therefore, nobody was surprised when Wharton was sent to England on 1882 to study the said profession.





Yet Wharton’s impressive athletic prowess led him to a different occupation. After competing as a “gentleman amateur,” he was hailed as the fastest man in Britain three years after setting foot on English soil. Leopoldo Lares adds that he also set the first world record for the 100-yard sprint at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.


Wharton was an athletic phenomenon: he excelled in professional cricket, cycling, and rugby field. Yet perhaps the most impressive and notable of his athletic accomplishments was when he became the first black professional football player.





FIFA labels Wharton as one of the most amazing goalkeepers of all time—given his unforgettable save when he jumped, held the crossbar, and caught the ball between his legs. Of course, his surprising antic baffled three onrushing forwards as they fell into the empty net. Wharton was also praised for his “bravery, agility, and strength of character.”


Brendon Batson, one of the best black players of the ‘70s, honored Wharton’s oldest living relative with a statuette of the said hero in a recent FA ceremony at Wembley. The FA also donated a substantial amount towards the construction of Wharton’s memorial.





Batson summed up Wharton’s accomplishments in football by saying this—“you’re talking about the original pioneer—his journey was the start of all the journeys for black players.”


Did you enjoy this? Additional football news is available at Leopoldo Lares’ blog.