First Black International Footballer

Date: March 12, 1881 • Location: London, United Kingdom

Andrew Watson (pictured) captained the Scotland national football team against England, becoming the world's first black international footballer.

Andrew Watson was a Scottish footballer who is widely considered to be the first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur Wharton was previously commonly thought to be the first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer to play in the Football League, but Watson's career predated him by over a decade. There is evidence that Watson was paid professionally when at Bootle in 1887, two years prior to Wharton becoming a professional with Rotherham Town; however, the Merseyside club did not play in the Football League at the time Watson played there.