Google celebrates this Tuesday (18) what would have been the 131st birthday of the legendary Brazilian star Arthur Friedenreich
Arthur Friedenreich was a Brazilian soccer player and the first black man to play soccer professionally in the country. Son of a German father and an Afro-Brazilian woman, he went down in history as the first great player of the sport in Brazil.
Born in São Paulo on July 18, 1892, Friedenreich stood out in the amateur phase of Brazilian football, at a time when the sport was very limited to the elite clubs of the big Brazilian cities.
El Tigre
Arthur Friedenreich got his start in football playing for SC Germânia, aged just 17. In 1914 the athlete made his debut in the Brazilian national team and, in 1919, earned the nickname “El Tigre” given to him by the Uruguayans after his brilliant performance during the Brazilian participation in the South American Championship (former name of the Copa América ) that year, when he scored the title goal against Uruguay.
Friedenreich also made history as the first athlete to score a hat-trick (three goals in the same match) with the national team: it was in the 6-0 victory against Chile on May 11, 1919, during the South American Championship. It was also the first time a player had scored a hat-trick in the competition, which had started three years earlier.
Even though he was the leading athlete of his day, Friedenreich faced prejudice and had to straighten his hair and powder his skin to look less Afro-Brazilian. The height of the racism faced by the Brazilian striker in football occurred in 1921, when the Argentine authorities declared that only white players could compete in the Copa América that year.
There are reports that the then president of Brazil, Epitácio Pessoa, met with representatives of the Brazilian Sports Confederation (precursor of the CBF) to recommend convening only light-skinned athletes. And, therefore, the main player in Brazil was not called up to play in one of the major football tournaments between national teams of the time.
The best scorer in history?
A curious fact about Friedenreich is that, considering unofficial data, he would have scored more goals than Pelé in his entire career: 1,329 goals against “only” 1,283 for the King of Football. However, the paucity of records from the time he played the elder of the pair makes it impossible to establish this as fact, so only the legend remains.
Friedenreich played for several clubs throughout his career, with a particular focus on Club Athletico Paulistano, where he was six times champion of São Paulo during the 1920s, and for the “Esquadrão de Aço” of São Paulo Futebol Clube, where he became champion of São Paulo in 1931. In the national team, the striker won the 1919 and 1922 Copa America and the 1914 Copa Rocca.
Arthur Friedenreich died on 6 September 1969 in São Paulo, aged 77.
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Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
