I was considering him but didn't know whether he was one of those players who was considered great because he was the first international black player or because he was that good. I have no idea what he was like mind.
Him being black makes him a cult figure among people of African origin, he was a trail-blazer. The very first to play internationally was actually another Uruguayan (Isabelino Gradin) in an away game against Brazil, where football was an elitist sport. Black people took notice.
A few years later there were already a couple of black Brazilians worthy of a national callup, but the Brazilian Federation barred them from playing (at the country's President's request, no less). At one point there were people complaining Uruguay were cheating by fielding African players.
Then in 1924, for the first time, a South American team crossed the ocean to pit itself against the very best. After all, that's where football had come from. The Yugoslavs were up first and sent spies, so the confident Uruguayans decided to train like complete monkeys, overshooting their balls, missing the goal by a mile, running into each other... Chaplin stuff. "They won't be a problem" stated the report, and Yugoslavia lost 7-0. Those present at the Olympics realised there was something special and new about it all. It wasn't methodic and rigid, but fluid, it was revolutionary... and that got the wheels turning and eventually led to the creation of the World Cup Tournament.
People were taken aback by the fluid passing, the ingenuity, the attacking flair... At the centre of it all was José Leandro Andrade, the right halfback. Halfbacks were usually defensive, some attacking, but very few combined both. Andrade was the one organising the defensive line, but also bringing the ball out of defence and acting, effectively, as a deep-lying playmaker.
No one got anywhere near him, or else they would risk embarrassment. It was his dribbling and passing range which made him the Black Marvel, but also the way he run the game at a time when the pitch was split into halves and connecting them two was a long ball. Andrade would keep the ball at feet and progress, attacking the space until some poor sod broke the line and came to stop him, providing the gap for a 5 vs. 4 or an opportunity to dribble through and turn that into 5 vs. 3. Revolutionary stuff, ridiculous as it may now sound.
Don't get me wrong, his defensive duties were of significant importance so in a tight game those would be prioritised. You certainly wouldn't find him running the length of the pitch then. Just to highlight his defensive nous I offer the following:
- 1924 final, against a free-scoring Switzerland. Their star player, Abegglen was the tournament top scorer so far. He operated at inside left, Andrade shut him out: 3-0.
- 1928 final, against eternal rivals Argentina. Top scorer of the tournament Tarasconi, inside left, shut out. 1-1 and 2-1 (no ET or penos then), both Argentine goals came from the other flank.
- 1930 final, again against Argentina, who had the tournos top scorer again (a CF though). Andrade was man of the match keeping Uruguay in the game while still 2-1 down and at 2-2. Both goals scored from the left flank again.
He was immense and had the attributes to do a job either on the right of a DM pair or at fullback.
But back to the story... it was Andrade's success and acclaim at the Paris Olympics that finally forced the Brazilian Federation's hand. Fortunate for us spectators, unfortunate for every side they have pissed on since!
