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# The Frenchman, who marked the inaugural bullseye in Uruguay in 1930, was later imprisoned in the war and an unknown hero.

On the eve of the World Cup in Italy in 1990, some Italian journalists, looking for reports to set the previous months, wondered who would have scored the first goal of the first World Cup, 60 years earlier, in Uruguay.

It was Lucien Laurent, French. The opening match was played in Los Pocitos, then the pitch of Peñarol, France and Mexico, on July 13. The Centenario, built exprofeso for the World Cup, was not ready for the day indicated by untimely rains that delayed the auctions. It would be released six days later.

France won 4-1 and the first goal came in the 19 ', work of Laurent, the left inside.
For 1990 it was forgotten. Actually, it was always, because that World was not followed as now. Jules Rimet, Frenchman, president of FIFA and creator of the tournament, had cost God and help to get France to participate, and even more so to bring his best players. The clubs did not see it well, because they took advantage of the summer to raise with friendly. (Spain and Italy did not even register). It was not easy to take those who were still amateurs, because they depended on the job they were in, and at best they had to spend their vacations on it. That was the case of Laurent, amateur or compensated amateur, who played in Sochaux, the city of Peugeot, in whose factories he worked.

France won only that first match, although with the merit that from minute 26 he played with 10, because of injury to his goal, Thépot, whose jersey had to put the half Chantrel. Then he lost to Argentina and Chile. This third match was not played by Laurent, due to injury. They returned to France without noise, as they had left her. In fact, L'Auto, the great newspaper of France (predecessor of L'Équipe, name after the world war) did not even send a journalist with them. He hired as two informants two members of the team, the aforementioned Chantrel and Pinel.

Laurent missed the next World Cup, in France, in 1934, due to an injury. In total he played 10 international matches. He moved through several level teams until he was enrolled in the War. He was imprisoned by the Germans for almost three years, was released and returned to play later. He retired at Besançon, already 38 years old and then started a coaching career, almost always in modest teams.

In France nobody knew anything about him. Tracking, the Italian journalists found that their last team had been the Besançon, they searched there and located him. He was a happy old man of 82 years (he was born in December 1907) and he still played football weekly, with a group of friends and good air.

In some circles Besançon was known for his indefatigable fondness for football, but it was hardly known that he had played in a remote time. Nothing that related to the first goal of the World Cup.

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Suddenly, he got a sudden fame. The organization of the World Cup invited him to a great party, in which he was greeted and celebrated as a hero by Pele, Beckenbauer, Charlton, Platini ... By then, television had already shown images of the happy octogenarian parties with his friends from Besançon Among those who was the oldest, and that attracted to his figure the greatest of sympathies.

A lot of times he had to count his goal, for this or that reporter or television: "The match started normal. Both teams fought for the ball. Suddenly, Delfour attacked from the right and passed Liberati, which he centered. I ran through the center and connected with the ball when falling, and entered the corner of the goal. We were all very happy, but at that time we did not kiss ... "

Football gratified him in his last 15 years (he died at 97), in which he enjoyed his status as a local hero in Besançon. He trained school children, gave talks, continued playing on Sunday mornings. He was not puffed up, at that age it is impossible, but he experienced the unexpected sensation of popularity.

The field of Los Pocitos disappeared, devoured by the city. In 2002, a Uruguayan architect, Héctor Enrique Benech, set out to locate the exact site to build a monument there to that first goal. Superimposing shots and photographs he found with him, in Charrúa with Coronel Alegre. The contest for the monument was won by Eduardo di Mauro, with two elements located 50 meters away. One is called Zero to zero and ball to the middle, located where the kick was made, the origin of all the World Cups played to date, and the other Where the spiders sleep, which represents the squad where the father of all goals entered. , Laurent's.

The problem was to know in which of the two goals it had been, because there was no written reference to which side each team attacked in each time. It was resolved with a clue: to which side the wind was going. Reviewing the weather forecasts for the day, it was deduced which side France attacked in the first part.

The French ambassador attended the inauguration. There, a plaque immortalizes our hero: "1921-1930, Field de Los Pocitos-Peñarol. July 13, 1930. Lucien Laurent, first FIFA World goal. France 4 - Mexico 1 ".

link https://scorum.com/en-us/football/@apoloo/lucien-laurent-the-first-scorer-of-a-world-cup