Asia's Legendary Player FC Barcelona's Paulino Alcantara

Discussion in 'Players & Legends' started by Pelefan, Feb 4, 2012.

  1. Pelefan

    Pelefan Member+

    Mar 17, 1999
    Chicago
    Recently, I came across a piece on our best player, Paulino Alcantara, who a lot of people also consider among the best Asian players of all time(the Asian Messi) and is considered a legend at the famous Barcelona FC club in Spain. Here is his story as researched by Joey Capones:

    http://www.azkalsfootballteam.com/news.php?id=28



    History of Paulino Alcántara
    By Joey Capones 2012-02-03 22:01:42

    The Legend of the Net Breaker

    If I told you that there was once a football player who had such an incredulously powerful kick that he once sent a ball flying all the way through the back of the net, ripping it in the process, would you believe me or would you simply dismiss my story as an urban legend? What if I tell you later on that the football player with net-breaking abilities was a Filipino, would you even consider the possibility?

    You should. This double-shocker is a true story, after all.

    It was on April 30, 1922, in a game between Spain and France, that Filipino football player Paulino Alcántara earned his nickname ‘El Romperedes’ or ‘The Net Breaker’. He got the moniker after he kicked a ball so hard from a 30-yard distance that the ball ended up, not only making the goal, but breaking the net, as well.[1] This extraordinary play made an instant football hero and legend out of Alcántara.

    Filipino Roots

    Paulino Alcántara was born on October 7, 1896.[2] Like a good number of the current members of the Philippine national team, Alcántara was of mixed ancestry, the son of a Spanish father and a Filipino mother.[3] But despite having Caucasian genes, Alcántara wasn’t tall or burly, like Filipino–Spanish Azkal Angel Guirado. On the contrary, he was of medium built (reports say he is about 5’7 in height and weighed a measly 123 lbs.[4]) and considered by most as not having the physique of a professional athlete. Obviously, this did not keep Alcántara from pursing a career as a professional football player.


    Appropriately enough, Alcántara hailed from the province of Iloilo, one of the few places in the Philippines where football is more popular than basketball or boxing. He stayed there with his family until he was about fourteen years old, at which time, his father brought their family back to his homeland.[5]

    Early Career Milestones

    It was in Barcelona where Alcantara’s football career started to take off. Alcántara, who played football since his early years in Iloilo, initially joined a football club formed by his classmates. The club was called “Galeno”.[6] Not long after, he was discovered by Joan Gamper, founder of FC Barcelona (Barça, for short), and signed him up for the club. This made Alcántara the first Asian ever to sign up and play for a European club.[7]

    At the tender age of fifteen, Alcántara became (and still is) the youngest player ever to play for Barça. Moreover, in his debut game, Alcántara scored the first three of the nine goals that Barça was able to score against opponent Catalá SC. As such, he also holds the distinction of being the youngest player in Barça history to score in a competitive match.[8]

    Alcántara went on to become one of the most valuable members of the club. With the Filipino footballer on the pitch, Barça ended up winning a Copa del Rey/Championat de Catalunya double in 1913 and a Championat de Catalunya in 1916.
    [9]

    Return to the Homeland

    In 1916, Alcántara went back to the Philippines with his parents against his own will. He was constrained to continue his medical studies in the country and to look for a new football club. Eventually, Alcántara went on to join and play for a team called Bohemians of Manila.[10]

    Barely a year after his return, Alcántara became, what we would call today, a full-fledged Azkal—that is, he was selected to play for the Philippine national football team. The team’s first agenda at that time was to represent the country in the Far Eastern Championship Games (former Asian Games) in Tokyo. On the pitch, Alcántara was unstoppable. He eventually led the team to defeat Japan in an embarrassing score of 15–2. Up to this day, the team’s performance is considered to be the greatest performance of the Philippine national football team in a single game.[11]

    Meanwhile, back at Barcelona, winning a major trophy proved to be impossible for Barça without Alcántara. This prompted the club to beg Alcántara’s parents to allow him to go back to Spain and play for the club. Alcántara’s parents did not oblige. It was not until Alcántara contracted malaria and refused to take the prescribed medicine unless he was allowed to return to Spain, that he was able to prevail against his parents wishes.[12] Such a brash move can only come from a dedicated sportsman like Alcántara.

    The Rise of a Star

    In no time, Alcántara was back in the starting line up of FC Barcelona. Then Coach Jack Greenwell initially fielded him as a defender, but he was switched back to his original position as a striker after a short while, at the club membership’s behest[13]. And the rest, as they say, is history.

    With Alcántara’s help, Barça was able to win five Spanish championships and ten Catalan titles. His individual contribution to the club is apparent as he is now credited for being the highest goal scorer in the history of FC Barcelona. Scoring 357 goals in a total of 357 games, his one goal per match ratio is still unrivaled[14] (To illustrate, today’s golden boy Lionel Messi has only made 202 goals in 286 matches[15]).

    Aside from club football, Alcántara also made five appearances and scored six goals (one of which was the famed net-breaking ball) for the Spanish national football team.[16] He was handpicked to join the Spanish team for the 1920 Olympics, but he reportedly passed on the opportunity in order to take his final medical exams in the Philippines.[17]

    Life after Football

    Alcántara officially retired on July 5, 1927, at the young age of 31, to become a full-time doctor. Aside from being club director from 1931 to 1934[18] and the three-game stint as coach for the Spanish national football team in the 1950s,[19] that was goodbye for Alcántara’s professional football career. He later died in Barcelona on February 13, 1964 at the age of 67.[20]

    To this day, Alcántara remains to be a revered figure in the international football community.


    _______________________
    An educated, well respected scholar and physician, Paulino is also among the first football players to write an autobiography about his football career, which was written and published in Spain.

    He was so well respected as a football player, that Spain and Barcelona gave him a final testimonial game in his honor, on July 5, 1927 where he played for Barcelona against the Spanish national team.

    Honours

    Club
    Barcelona
    Copa del Rey (5): 1913, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926
    Campionat de Catalunya (10): 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
    Bohemian Sporting Club
    Philippines Championship (2): 1917, 1918
    International
    Philippines
    Far Eastern Games: 1917 (Silver medal)

    He has played for Catalonia, the Philippines and Spain.

    If you want to see pictures of Alcantara that came with this article, please check the link posted above.

    Links:

    http://arxiu.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/alcantara.html

    http://www.totalbarca.com/2010/history/barca-history-paulino-alcantara/

    http://www.insidefutbol.com/2010/07/23/barcelonas-forgotten-legend-paulino-alcantara/27538/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulino_Alcántara
     
  2. Pelefan

    Pelefan Member+

    Mar 17, 1999
    Chicago
    To celebrate the centenary of the Asian legend's debut with FC Barcelona, FIFA.com also wrote an article about Paulino Alcantara on their website comparing his impact at that club with Messi and that Messi still has a ways to go before matching Alcantara's goalscoring exploits at the storied club:

    http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1589363.html


    Barça’s Filipino forward, 100 years on
    (FIFA.com) Saturday 25 February 2012


    With Lionel Messi now just 13 goals away from equalling Cesar Rodriguez’s final tally of 235, it has been widely written that Barcelona’s scoring record is about to fall. Not so. The magnificent Cesar might lead the way in competitive strikes, but a look at the Barça record books reveals a different name, that of Paulino Alcantara, atop its all-time scoring chart.

    An amazing haul of 357 goals from as many appearances established this Filipino phenomenon among the club’s earliest icons, and the first of those goals came 100 years ago today – on a truly remarkable debut. Indeed, Alcantara features in Barça’s annals not only as its record goalscorer, but also as its youngest-ever debutant, as he took to the field against Catala SC aged just 15 years, four months and 18 days. And he didn’t just play either; he scored – three times! A legend had been born.

    Born in the Philippines to a Spanish military officer father and a Filipino mother, this teenage sensation proved a pioneering figure in more respects than one. No Asian player had ever represented a European club before he moved to Spain, and few since have come close to matching his extraordinary achievements.

    Alcantara was still just 19 when, having helped his Catalan employers win the Copa del Rey and two Campionat de Catalunyas, he returned for a two-year stint in his homeland, adding a couple of Filipino championship medals to his collection. Barça, however, emerged empty-handed from each of the seasons in which he was missing, and it was only when Alcantara was lured back that the club’s first truly golden era began.

    By the time he retired in 1927 to become a doctor, the 31-year-old had won 17 major titles, and had represented Spain, Catalonia and the Phillipines at international level. Indeed, it was while on duty with La Roja that Alcantara earned his nickname, ‘El Romperedes’ (The Netbreaker), thanks to a 30-yard thunderbolt against France that smashed through the netting.

    This supreme striker was also one of the first players to write memoirs about his football career, and a statue of him stands to this day outside the headquarters of the Philippine Football Federation. A century may have passed since his glorious debut, but Alcantara - one of the beautiful game’s early greats – remains well worth remembering.

    ______________

    His club FC Barcelona also wrote an article about him celebrating his debut with his club a century ago:

    Centenari del debut de Paulino Alcántara

    http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/futbol/p...ara?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

    There is one slight error with the FIFA article above. The earliest Asian player to play for a European club is Filipino born Manuel Amechazurra who played from FC Barcelona from 1905-1915, whose descendants and kin in the Philippines have informed the PFF with memorabilia from the time period stll in their possession to prove this. Alcantara played from 1912-1928. Unlike Alcantara however, Amechazurra and the rest of the Filipinos of that era who played in Spain including for clubs like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, etc., never went back to the Philippines to represent the Philippine national football team. Only Alcantara has that privilege.

    http://cathonys.blogspot.com/2009/06/cap_18.html

    Acc. to a comment on this entry his granddaughter Teresa Amechazurra says that the only reason he asked for a salary making him FC Barcelona's first professional, was because his parents threatened to stop sending him money if he didn't continue studying which was the reason they sent him to Spain in the first place.
     
  3. Pelefan

    Pelefan Member+

    Mar 17, 1999
    Chicago
    More info on Alcantara from the FC Barcelona website:

    In order to dedicate more time to medicine (having already been a practicing doctor since the early 1920s), Alcántara hung up his boots in 1927. He died in Barcelona in 1964 and was buried in Les Corts cemetery, next to the Camp Nou. In 2007, FIFA named him the best Asian player of all time. He still lives strong in the memory not just of Barça fans but also the Filipino population. Right now there is a huge campaign underway in the country to promote passion for the sport, and there is no better symbol or hero of the Philippine's footballing past than the legendary Paulino Alcántara

    The man with the amazing goals

    Defying his slender appearance, Alcántara was a true professional from the start and fully dedicated to the cause. His medical studies helped him no end, especially his knowledge of the very latest fitness methods. This meant that an extraordinarily skinny looking player on the outside was built like a train within, and his ability to strike the ball hard astounded everyone that ever saw him play. Looking so appealing with his white handkerchief always hanging out of his shorts, he became the first major media figure in FC Barcelona history.

    From 1922, he was known by the nickname of Trencaxarxes (net-breaker) after one of his shots actually managed to pierce the net in a game he played for Spain, although that was not the first time his amazing shooting had caused uproar. On April 13, 1919, Alcántara scored what has gone down in history as the "police goal" in a game at Les Corts against Real Sociedad. A powerful shot from the Filipino was heading straight for the goal when a stray policeman somehow got in the way of the ball. Such was the power of the shot that both the ball and policeman ended up in the back of the net.
     
  4. Pelefan

    Pelefan Member+

    Mar 17, 1999
    Chicago
    Apparently acc. to Barca fans in the Barcelona thread, they just updated Alcantara's goal total to 369 goals in 357 matches which makes his record for most goals in all competitions, more impressive than it already is. At the rate Messi is going though, he will probably break Alcantara's record in a few years.
     
  5. napolisoccer

    napolisoccer Member

    NYCFC - Napoli
    Feb 20, 2005
    Napoli
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
  6. Pelefan

    Pelefan Member+

    Mar 17, 1999
    Chicago
    Leo Messi broke Paulino Alcantara's record last year:

    [​IMG]

    Leo Messi breaks Paulino Alcántara’s record to become the highest goalscorer in Barcelona history

    Barcelona forward, Leo Messi scored the opening goal in his side’s Sunday evening La Liga contest against Osasuna, putting the Argentine’s name firmly in the Blaugrana record books yet again, equaling Paulino Alcántara’s record as the highest goalscorer in Barcelona history, only to score his second goal several minutes later and pass Alcantara to become highest goal-scorer in the history of the club with 370 goals.

    [​IMG]

    Paulino held Barcelona’s scoring record for over 87 years, scoring 369 goals in 357 official and friendly matches.

    Alcántara made his debut for Barcelona at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club and the first Asian and Filipino to play for a European club.

    Upon retiring in 1927 at the age of 31, become a medical physician, while also managing the national teams of Catalunya, Spain and the Philippines.

    Messi made his debut at a similar age and despite being one of the most prolific scorers in European football history, it still took the diminutive Argentine 95 more appearances to break Paulino’s long-standing record.

    Messi, who as just 26 years of age, will continue scoring for many years to come and in all likelihood, hold the record for another 100 years.

    http://www.insidespanishfootball.co...-the-highest-goalscorer-in-barcelona-history/

    Photo: Messi puts on Paulino Alcantara's jersey
    Messi puts on shirt used in the time of Barcelona’s previous topscorer Paulino Alcantara after beating his record in the game against Osasuna!

    [​IMG]

    www.101greatgoals.com/blog/lionel-messi-wears-paulino-alcantaras-vintage-barcelona-shirt-as-mark-of-respect-after-beating-scoring-record/
     

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