Arsenio Erico
Encyclopedia
Arsenio Pastor Erico was a Paraguay
an football
forward
. He is the all-time highest goalscorer
in the Argentine first division
. He is considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time.
, Paraguay
, started his career in Club Nacional
of Paraguay and made his debut in the club's first team squad at the age of 15.
During the early 1930s, Erico was part of the Paraguayan Red Cross football team that was on tour in Argentina in order to gather funds for the Chaco War. Because of his good performances during the friendly matches in the mentioned tour, Club Atlético Independiente of Argentina signed him. He made his debut for Independiente on 5 May 1936 and began to demonstrate why he had acquired the nickname 'red jumper'. Before the 1938 FIFA World Cup Erico was offered an extravagant amount of money to play for the Argentine national football team but he rejected it, gaining the praise of the general Argentine public for remaining loyal to his country of origin.[2] Soon after this, however, Erico caught an infection which led to a long period out on the sidelines. Then, in 1935, he broke his leg. After he recovered, however, he reminded everyone of his talent by taking Independiente to the league title in 1938 and 1939. Later, he joined Huracán where he only played 7 games in 1947 before retiring.
and also had a brief stint in Club Sol de América
where he led the team to a second place finish in the 1957 Paraguayan league.
, who considered him one of the greatest players ever. Other figures like Brazil
ian striker Leônidas da Silva
and Paraguayan Delfín Benítez Cáceres
also consider Erico as one of the best players in history. Argentine striker Francisco Varallo
remembers Erico as a "phenomenon
" that would excel in scoring headers due to his high jumps.
Club Nacional stadium
is named after him, and sections of the Defensores del Chaco
stadium in Paraguay and the Libertadores de América
stadium in Avellaneda
also carry Arsenio Erico's name. He died on 23 July 1977.
|-
|1934
||rowspan="13"|Independiente
||rowspan="13"|Primera División
||21||12||||||||
|-
|1935||18||22||||||||
|-
|1936||26||21||||||||
|-
|1937||34||48||||||||
|-
|1938
||30||43||||||||
|-
|1939
||32||41||||||||
|-
|1940
||30||29||||||||
|-
|1941
||27||26||||||||
|-
|1942
||3||0||||||||
|-
|1943
||29||17||||||||
|-
|1944
||26||12||||||||
|-
|1945
||30||20||||||||
|-
|1946
||19||4||||||||
|-
|1947
||rowspan="1"|Huracán
||rowspan="1"|Primera División
||7||0||||||||
332||295||||||||
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. He is the all-time highest goalscorer
Primera División Argentina topscorers
This is a list of Argentine Primera División top scorers, that enumerates all players that have finished a season as top goalscorers in the top level of the Argentine football league system. These statistics only include seasons from the professional era of Argentine football...
in the Argentine first division
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
. He is considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time.
As a player
Erico, born in AsunciónAsunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, started his career in Club Nacional
Club Nacional
Club Nacional is a Paraguayan football team, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción, founded in 1904.-History:The club was founded on June 5, 1904 by a group of alumni of the Colegio Nacional de la Capital, one of the oldest public schools in Asunción...
of Paraguay and made his debut in the club's first team squad at the age of 15.
During the early 1930s, Erico was part of the Paraguayan Red Cross football team that was on tour in Argentina in order to gather funds for the Chaco War. Because of his good performances during the friendly matches in the mentioned tour, Club Atlético Independiente of Argentina signed him. He made his debut for Independiente on 5 May 1936 and began to demonstrate why he had acquired the nickname 'red jumper'. Before the 1938 FIFA World Cup Erico was offered an extravagant amount of money to play for the Argentine national football team but he rejected it, gaining the praise of the general Argentine public for remaining loyal to his country of origin.[2] Soon after this, however, Erico caught an infection which led to a long period out on the sidelines. Then, in 1935, he broke his leg. After he recovered, however, he reminded everyone of his talent by taking Independiente to the league title in 1938 and 1939. Later, he joined Huracán where he only played 7 games in 1947 before retiring.
As a coach
Arsenio Erico had a brief career as a football coach after retiring from professional football. He managed the club where he started his career as a footballer, NacionalClub Nacional
Club Nacional is a Paraguayan football team, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción, founded in 1904.-History:The club was founded on June 5, 1904 by a group of alumni of the Colegio Nacional de la Capital, one of the oldest public schools in Asunción...
and also had a brief stint in Club Sol de América
Club Sol de América
Club Sol de América is a Paraguayan sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is located in Barrio Obrero, Paraguay, and it was founded in 1909. The stadium Sol de America uses for most of its first division games is located in the suburb city of Villa Elisa. Sol de America have won...
where he led the team to a second place finish in the 1957 Paraguayan league.
Legacy
Arsenio Erico was an inspiration to Argentine player Alfredo Di StéfanoAlfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
, who considered him one of the greatest players ever. Other figures like Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian striker Leônidas da Silva
Leônidas da Silva
Leônidas da Silva was an association footballer and commentator. He is regarded to be one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. He played for Brazil in two World Cups, and was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup....
and Paraguayan Delfín Benítez Cáceres
Delfín Benítez Cáceres
Delfín Benítez Cáceres was a Paraguayan football striker.Benítez started his career in Libertad of his native country. As one of the key players of the Paraguayan national football team in the early 1930s, he gained the attention of Argentinian club Boca Juniors and signed with them in 1932...
also consider Erico as one of the best players in history. Argentine striker Francisco Varallo
Francisco Varallo
Francisco Antonio "Pancho" Varallo was an Argentine football forward. He played for the Argentine national team from 1930 to 1937. He was a member of Argentina's squad at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930...
remembers Erico as a "phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
" that would excel in scoring headers due to his high jumps.
Club Nacional stadium
Estadio Arsenio Erico
Estadio Arsenio Erico is a multi-use stadium in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción, Paraguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Club Nacional. The stadium holds 4,500 people. It is named after famous Paraguayan footballer, Arsenio Erico....
is named after him, and sections of the Defensores del Chaco
Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Estadio Defensores del Chaco is a multi-purpose stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium once had a 50,000+ capacity but over the years the stadium has undergone remodeling dropping the capacity to 36,000....
stadium in Paraguay and the Libertadores de América
Estadio Libertadores de América
The Estadio Libertadores de América is a stadium located in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province.It is home to the Argentine football club Independiente...
stadium in Avellaneda
Avellaneda
Avellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
also carry Arsenio Erico's name. He died on 23 July 1977.
Career summary
|-
|1934
Primera División Argentina 1934
The 1934 Primera División season was the fourth season of the professional football of the Argentine top-flight. Boca Juniors won their second Primera División this season. Evaristo Barrera of Racing was the topscorer.-Format and teams:...
||rowspan="13"|Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
||rowspan="13"|Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
||21||12||||||||
|-
|1935||18||22||||||||
|-
|1936||26||21||||||||
|-
|1937||34||48||||||||
|-
|1938
Primera División Argentina 1938
-Overview:It was performed in 17 teams, and Independiente won the championship.-League standings:...
||30||43||||||||
|-
|1939
Primera División Argentina 1939
-Overview:It was performed in 18 teams, and Independiente won the championship.-League standings:...
||32||41||||||||
|-
|1940
Primera División Argentina 1940
-Overview:It was performed in 18 teams, and Boca Juniors won the championship.-League standings:...
||30||29||||||||
|-
|1941
Primera División Argentina 1941
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and River Plate won the championship.-League standings:...
||27||26||||||||
|-
|1942
Primera División Argentina 1942
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and River Plate won the championship.-League standings:...
||3||0||||||||
|-
|1943
Primera División Argentina 1943
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and Boca Juniors won the championship.-League standings:...
||29||17||||||||
|-
|1944
Primera División Argentina 1944
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and Boca Juniors won the championship.-League standings:...
||26||12||||||||
|-
|1945
Primera División Argentina 1945
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and River Plate won the championship.-League standings:...
||30||20||||||||
|-
|1946
Primera División Argentina 1946
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and San Lorenzo de Almagro won the championship.-League standings:...
||19||4||||||||
|-
|1947
Primera División Argentina 1947
-Overview:It was performed in 16 teams, and River Plate won the championship.-League standings:...
||rowspan="1"|Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...
||rowspan="1"|Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
||7||0||||||||
332||295||||||||