Arsenio Erico
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Arsenio Pastor Erico (March 30, 1915 - July 23, 1977) was a Paraguayan football forward, the all-time highest goalscorer in the Argentine first division. He is considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time.
Erico, born in Asunción, 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 1930's, Erico was part of the Paraguayan Red Cross football team that was on tour in Argentina in order to gather founds 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 May 5, 1934 and began to show why he had acquired the nickname 'jumping devil'. Soon after this, however, Erico caught an infection which led to a long period out of the game. Then, in 1935, he fractured his arm twice. 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.
Erico was the league's top-scorer three times in a row: 1937 (47 goals), 1938 (43) and 1939 (40). He is the highest goalscorer in the history of the Argentine league, with 293 goals in 332 matches. Angel Labruna nearly tied his mark, but he retired after scoring 292 goals.
Arsenio Erico was an inspiration to Argentine player Alfredo Di Stéfano, who considered him one of the greatest players ever. Erico died in 1977.
[edit] Career summary
| Year | Games | Goals | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 21 | 12 | Independiente |
| 1935 | 18 | 22 | Independiente |
| 1936 | 26 | 21 | Independiente |
| 1937 | 34 | 47 | Independiente |
| 1938 | 30 | 43 | Independiente |
| 1939 | 32 | 40 | Independiente |
| 1940 | 30 | 29 | Independiente |
| 1941 | 27 | 26 | Independiente |
| 1942 | 3 | 0 | Independiente |
| 1943 | 29 | 17 | Independiente |
| 1944 | 26 | 12 | Independiente |
| 1945 | 30 | 20 | Independiente |
| 1946 | 19 | 4 | Independiente |
| 1947 | 7 | 0 | Huracán |
| Total | 332 | 293 | - |
