First International Black Footballer 👦🏿 Pioneer of Defense Midfielder
☣Meet " Jose Leandro Andrade "
First International Black footballer
📝Today, Andrade is a relative unknown in the English-speaking world. Scan through a few lists claiming to chronicle the greatest footballers of all time, and in some cases his name is absent altogether. Yet this was a man who earned three world titles with his country, can correctly be called football's first black icon, and who was once among the most famous sportsmen on the planet 🔝
🈁 Prior to the introduction of professional football in Uruguay he worked in a number of jobs.
International career 🇺🇾
Andrade earned 34 appearances with la Celeste Olimpica scoring one goal between 1923 and 1930.
South American Championship 🏆
Andrade played in South American Championship (now known as Copa América) winning teams in 1923, 1924 and 1926.
Olympics 🏅
Andrade won his first Olympic gold medal at the 1924 Olympic football tournament in Paris. He was recognised as being the first black international football player to play Olympic football.He was nicknamed The Black Marvel and The Black Pearl, the latter a name later used in reference to Pelé.In 1928 he won his second Olympic gold medal at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
1930 FIFA World Cup 🏆
Despite not being at his peak he managed to be one of Uruguay's best players as they won the 1930 World Cup. At the end of the tournament he was selected in the All-Star team.
Individual honour 🏆
IFFHS Football Player of the Century: 29th
FIFA World Cup: Bronze Ball 1930
FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team 1930
France Football's World Cup Top-100
1930–1990:10th