Argentine football has been paying tribute to Francisco Varallo, the last survivor from the first World Cup Final in 1930, who has died in his home town of La Plata, aged 100.
Varallo, was inside forward in the Argentina side who lost 4-2 to Uruguay in Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium. In a birthday interview interview last February, he said that Argentina had lost through “a lack of courage” after leading 2-1 at halftime.
Recalling 1930, he added: “I achieved a lot of nice things in my career: I represented the national team and was Boca’s record goalscorer. However, in my whole life I’ve never felt such a bitter pain as losing that World Cup final against Uruguay in 1930. How I cried that day! Even now when I look back it still makes me angry.”
Varallo won the league title with home town club Gimnasia y Esgrima in 1929 during the amateur era before joining Boca Juniors. He won three professional league titles between 1931 and 1936 but was forced to retire through injury aged 30 in 1940. He became a youth coach with Boca and with Gimnasia.
Varallo’s 194 goals for Boca set a record broken only this year by Martin Palermo.