 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 October 1865 | ||
| Place of birth | Jamestown, Gold Coast | ||
| Date of death | 13 December 1930 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Edlington, Yorkshire, England | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper/Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1885–1886 | Darlington | ||
| 1886–1888 | Preston North End | ||
| 1889–1894 | Rotherham Town | 19 | (0) |
| 1894–1895 | Sheffield United | 1 | (0) |
| 1895–1896 | Rotherham Town | 15 | (0) |
| 1896–1897 | Stalybridge Rovers | ||
| 1897–1899 | Ashton North End | ||
| 1899–1901 | Stalybridge Rovers | ||
| 1901–1902 | Stockport County | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arthur Wharton (28 October 1865 – 12 December 1930) was a Gold Coast born mixed race British football player. He is widely considered to be the first black professional footballer in the world.[1][2][3] Though not the first black player outright – the amateurs Robert Walker, of Queen's Park, and Scotland international player, Andrew Watson, predate him (possibly a professional before Arthur Wharton for Bootle F.C. in 1887)[4][5] – Wharton may have been the first black professional and the first to play in the Football League.[1]
- ^ a b "Arthur Wharton". 100 Great Black Britons.
- ^ Phil Vasili (1998). The First Black Footballer, Arthur Wharton, 1865–1930. Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-4903-1.
- ^ "Arthur Wharton". Football Unites, Racism Divides. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
- ^ "Fate of Scotland's first black footballer revealed". www.scotsman.com.
- ^ Moffitt, Dominic (14 October 2021). "Andrew Watson: The pioneering black footballer who turned pro at Bootle". Liverpool Echo.