32 years after he was laid to rest in Buenos Aires, Arsenio Erico, finally returned home to Paraguay. Thousands of fans showed up to pay tribute to the 'greatest striker in Argentinian league history' as they celebrated his repatriation.
Born in Ascuncion, Paraguay, in 1915 Erico made his name playing for Independiente in Argentina. He was spotted by Los Diablos Rojos after he travelled to Argentina with a Paraguayan Red Cross representative team in an effort to raise money for the country in the Chaco War.
Amazingly enough, Bolivia and Paraguay are the only landlocked countries in the western hemisphere, and as a result any resource in the area is invaluable.
In 1932 the Chaco War broke out between Paraguay and Bolivia over a stretch of land called the Gran Chaco region, it was believed at the time that the area was oil rich, and as such was worth fighting over. The war was the bloodiest conflict in South America over the last 100 years and claimed the lives of over 100,000 soldiers.
Over the course of a number of fund raising friendlies, a young striker began to emerge as a player of some skill. Even then it was apparent that a young Erico was something special and Independiente moved in as quickly as possible to offer the youth a contract.
A powerfully built striker with a touch like velvet, Erico's career with Independiente lasted for over 13 years. During that time, he played 332 games and scored an unbelievable 293 goals. Earning himself the nickname the 'Red Jumper' because of his uncanny ability to hang in the air while waiting for a header. A skill that all truly world class players possess. Think Pele in 1970, or more recently Lionel Messi in the 2009 Champions League final.
Such was Erico's importance to the game in Argentina that on the verge of the World Cup in 1938, the AFA offered him the deal of a lifetime if he would declare for Argentina and lead them through the tournament in France.
Having never played an official game for Paraguay, Erico was open to offers from his home country. But he did manage to play in friendlies for La Arribaroja, scoring 26 goals in just 56 games, in one incredible season between 1933 and 1934. These were the very same friendlies where Independiete first saw his talent.
His refusal to turn his back on his native Paraguay could go some way to explaining why Argentina declined to travel to Europe for the tournament.
His reluctance to don the famous stripes of Argentina made no difference to either the fans of Independiente or to his own form, as went on to notch three forty plus goal seasons between 1937 and 1939.
However, the 1938 season has gone down in folklore history in Argentina for a couple of reasons.
Players were not very well paid back then and when a very well known Argentinian cigarette company offered a king's ransom to any player who could score 43 goals in one season, in an advertising campaign to launch their Cigarillos 43 brand, both the public and players imaginations were caught.
Being one of the best strikers in the world at the time, Erico managed to reach the magical 43 goal target with two games to go. But it was only then that he was told that he had to finish the season with 43 goals to claim the prize.
With the title already in the bag for Independiente, Erico managed to miss some very simple chances over the next two games before he went on to earn his prize. Some years later he admitted openly to missing on purpose to win the extravagant prize money on offer.
It makes his goal scoring record all the more incredible because he could have beaten his own tally easily. Currently the top scorer in Argentinian football history is shared between Erico and Angel Labruna, although it is worth noting that 'the Red Jumper' achieved his 293 tally in 183 games less than Labruna.
It was during this part of his career in Argentina that Erico went on to not only inspire the love of two countries, but of players too. Luminaries such as the great Alfredo Di-Stefano, Leonaidas Da Silva, and Benitez Caceres all cite him as not only being one of the greats of modern football, but also as the player who inspired them the most.
After his retirement in 1948, Arsenio Erico returned briefly to Paraguay to take up a coaching position with Nacional. His managerial career never matched his playing one though and the peak of his time on the sidelines was in guiding Club Sol De America to second place in the league in 1957.
Erico retired from football sometime later and then spent his life travelling between the two loves of his life, Argentina and Paraguay.
It says much of the stature of the man and the high regard that he was held in that he was possibly the only person capable of glossing over any of the many political tensions between his two homes.
When he passed away in 1977, he was buried in Buenos Aires, much to the dismay of many Paraguayan's.
And after years of seeking his return to the land of his birth, he eventually came home on February 25th 2010.
His coffin was draped in the flags of his two homes and was carried on top of a Bolivian fire engine as he made his way home to Asuncion.
To accompany him home a two mile caravan of well wishers followed the coffin solemnly while thousands of Paraguayan's and Argentinian's lined the streets to show respect to one of the greatest players their countries have ever produced.
His remains were laid to rest in the mausoleum at the national Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion.
Arsenio Erico is the only Paraguayan to feature in FIFA's Top 50 Players of all Time, an accolade well deserved. Now that he is home, his legend can be told to a new generation of players in Paraguay, and Argentina.
No comments:
Post a Comment