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Brazil's factory of gifted and talented footballers stretches back to time immemorial. From Leônidas da Silva, Ademir and Zizinho to the legendary Pelé and Garrincha, through to more modern names such as Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho and Neymar. But the very first great Brazilian football star was Arthur Friedenreich, with whom the national side achieved its first international triumphs.
Born in São Paulo to a father of German descent and a Brazilian mother, Friedenreich was a mixed-race footballer who faced discrimination in his own country because of the colour of his skin. On the pitch he played as a forward — highly intelligent, technically gifted, generous, unpredictable, sharp in close-quarters dribbling and above all devastatingly effective in front of goal (unverified records claim he scored 1,239 goals in 1,329 matches). Legend has it that he invented the spinning shot, and the man himself claimed he never missed a penalty in his career — though according to Brazilian RSSSF records he missed twelve. His nicknames during his playing days were many: 'El Tigre', 'Fried', 'The King of Kings', 'The King of Football' and 'The Green-Eyed Mulatto'.
In a remarkable career spanning a quarter of a century he played for around a dozen clubs, with particular significance attached to Paulistano, Sport Club Internacional, Santos, São Paulo and Flamengo. It was at Paulistano that he enjoyed his greatest sporting success, both individually and collectively — winning six Campeonatos Paulistas and three Taça Competência titles among other honours. Friedenreich was the competition's top scorer on seven occasions with the red-and-whites, and once each with Mackenzie in 1912 and Ypiranga in 1917. His most prolific year came in 1921 with 33 goals — a record that stood for ten seasons.
By the 1930s, approaching his forties, he enjoyed a second youth at São Paulo. In the tricolour dressing room he shared space with Brazilian internationals including Araken Patusca, Luisinho, Armandinho, Clodô and Junqueirinha, and for several years the side was brilliant and formidable in Brazil. São Paulo won the Campeonato Paulista and the Taça Competência in 1931, while the following year the Torneo Início and the Taça dos Campeões Estatais of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were their most important prizes.
A few months later, in 1933, the era of professionalisation began in Brazilian football, and Friedenreich — a complete opponent of the system — began to lose his appetite for the game. He retired at 43 while playing for Flamengo; his final match was a clash against Fluminense on 21st July 1935. The game ended 2–2 and, remarkably, not a single goal bore his signature.
The Brazilian Football Confederation had come into existence in 1914 and 'El Tigre' featured in the national side's earliest friendlies against Argentina and Colombia. He also played in the first ever South American Championship in 1916, scoring against Uruguay — though Brazil ultimately finished third. After missing the following Copa América in 1917, he returned to guide his country to victory in 1919 — a tournament held on Brazilian soil a year late due to a flu epidemic that had ravaged Rio de Janeiro in 1918.
In the Brazil side that brought the country its first ever celebration, alongside 'El Tigre' were the great goalkeeper Marcos, midfielders Fortes and the talented Amílcar, and the controversial but brilliant Neco. The tournament's standout performer — its best player, top scorer with four goals — was Friedenreich. In the opener Brazil dismantled Chile 6–0, with a hat-trick from the São Paulo striker. The second game brought a 3–1 win over Argentina, meaning the final group match against Uruguay would decide the champions. Uruguay, the reigning champions, had a formidable squad featuring Héctor Scarone, Ángel Romano and Isabelino Gradín, and they made things anything but straightforward. The match ended level, and with both sides level on points a play-off was needed three days later at the same Laranjeiras ground.
That match passed into history as the first to require extra time to determine a winner. It finished goalless after 90 minutes; 30 minutes of extra time produced nothing; a second period of 30 minutes was played, and just two minutes in — at minute 122 — Friedenreich appeared to beat Cayetano Saporiti with a beautifully struck volley. That goal transcended football: racism against black Brazilians began to diminish rapidly in its wake. Friedenreich was a national hero, silencing the voices of many supporters and even of the Brazilian president Epitácio Pessoa, who had not wanted him to play in the tournament. 'El Tigre' was carried out of the Laranjeiras ground on his teammates' shoulders, and football became a religion in the country as the people poured into the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the title.
Three years later Brazil — once again as hosts in Rio de Janeiro — and Friedenreich lifted their second South American Championship. In this edition, however, the veteran forward was no longer an automatic starter under coach Laís, and though he played against Chile and Uruguay, he was absent for the final against Paraguay. His last appearance for the national side came in 1930 in a friendly against France in Rio de Janeiro, which Brazil won 3–2 — with a goal from 'El Tigre', naturally.
