Arthur Friedenreich

Arthur Friedenreich is considered by many historians as the first great idol of world football and one of the greatest strikers of all time. Son of a German father and an Afro-Brazilian mother, he was a pioneer who faced the racial prejudice of the early twentieth century to become the ultimate symbol of Brazilian football of his era. His nickname, 'El Tigre', reflected the agility, skill and goalscoring instinct that made him unbeatable on the fields of Brazil and South America. Throughout a career that spanned from 1909 to 1935, Friedenreich is credited with an incredible 1,329 goals in over 1,200 matches. The exact count of his goals was disputed for decades — journalists and historians worked to compile records from newspapers of the era — but the colossal number never left any doubt about his genius as a striker. Beyond undeniable talent, Friedenreich had historical importance as a symbol of racial inclusion in Brazilian football, which at the time reserved the fields primarily for elite whites. His career paved the way for generations of black and mixed-race players who would transform Brazilian football into the world power it would become.