The African Trailblazers of English Football

The current top scorer in the Premier League is once again an African, Mohammed Salah. Last year, three African footballers dominated England’s top footballing division: Salah, his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane, and the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

This is nothing new – the three even shared the 2018-19 top scorer award. Elite African footballers have thrived for the past decade, with players such as Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba succeeding at the highest level. But how did African footballing talent become so important?

Historical Background

The English Premier League was founded in 1992. It replaced the Football League First Division, created in 1888 as the world’s first organised football league. At first, the teams in the First Division were only made up of local players from Britain. Around this point, being a full-time ‘professional’ footballer became possible for the first time. Before this, players were not paid living salaries and also had other full-time jobs.

English football’s first African player: Arthur Wharton

Arthur Wharton, born in 1865, is thought to be the first African to play professionally in the English Football League. Wharton’s mother, Annie Florence Egyriba, came from Fante Ghanaian royalty. Wharton was born in Accra, Ghana, and moved to England at the age of 19.

From a young age, Wharton showed exceptional athletic ability in all sports. In 1888, he equalled the world record of 10 seconds in the 100-yard dash (sprint event) in an athletics competition held at Stamford Bridge. He was excellent at everything he tried, playing cricket, cycling and athletics to a high level. But the sport Wharton chose to play professionally was football.

Wharton was spotted by scouts whilst playing as a goalkeeper for Darlington. He went on to have a 15-year career in the league, playing in goal for a Preston North End team that reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup (English football’s second most important trophy). After retiring in 1902, Wharton struggled to find work. He eventually found a job working as a miner in Yorkshire. In later life, Wharton developed a drinking problem, and died penniless (without money) in 1930. He was buried in an unmarked grave.

Hussein Hegazi

The next notable African player in English football was Hussein Hegazi. Hegazi was born in 1891 to wealthy parents in the small Egyptian town of Kremlah. A local story describes a young Hegazi practising his shooting by hitting neighbours’ clay pots. When Hegazi hit his target, his parents were forced to pay the neighbours back. Another multi-talented man, Hegazi first travelled to England to study engineering at the University of Cambridge.

Hegazi became a legend for the English club Dulwich Hamlet FC and later played for Fulham. He was known for his speed and skill, in contrast to the ‘physical’ style of play which was dominant at the time. He represented Egypt at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.

Conclusion

Players like Wharton and Hegazi paved the way for the African stars of today. Whilst Wharton was not appreciated when he was living, he has since been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. Statues of Wharton stand in Darlington, Rotherham and the headquarters of FIFA, football’s governing body. Similarly, Hegazi is widely considered to be the ‘father of Egyptian football’. He made the sport popular in the country, and today a street is named after him in Cairo. 

Wharton and Hegazi made it possible for players like Salah and Mane to thrive today. They were pioneers, who changed the game of football for the better. 

Oisin Kim

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1 comment

  1. Harry Ross 3 years ago April 27, 2021

    Very interesting article. Was slightly disappointed by the lack of reference to Papa Bouba Diop, AKA “the wardrobe”, but alas you can’t have it all.

    REPLY

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