AFRICA'S PIONEERS

AFRICA'S INFLUENCE ON ELITE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IS NOT A NEW THING

- Mark Gleeson

Football in Africa has found its own identity in the postindependence period, just on 60 years ago now.

But to think that the game only developed in Africa then, and that stars have only begun to emerge from the continent's pitches in the last six to seven decades, is to ignore the contribution made by Africa's early footballing pioneers.

Many of them have personal histories lost in colonial times, but they were ground breakers, knocking racist and colonial notions and establishing an identity and profile for Africans in the world sporting arena. They were also among the continent's early role models.

Senegalese Raoul Diagne played for France in the 1938 World Cup, winning the first of his 18 caps in 1931 when he became the first black footballer to compete for France. In the same squad at the 1938 tournament in France were Algerian-born Abdelkader Ben Bouali and Mario Zatelli, but neither were required by France on the field and never got to play in the tournament.

Larbi Ben Barak (right) was arguably the most famous African footballer to wear the colours of France - 17 times between 1938 and 1954. Casablanca born Ben Barek blazed a trail in European leagues, arriving at Marseille at the age of 20 and becoming an instant favourite with the fans for his skills. They nicknamed him 'the Black Pearl'. His career was interrupted by the onset of World War II but, after the conflict, he blossomed in Spain at Atletico Madrid, where his international fame spread.