Isabelino Gradín
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 July 1897 | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Date of death | 21 December 1944 (aged 47) | ||
| Place of death | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1915–1921 | Peñarol | 212 | (101) |
| 1922–1929 | Olimpia | ||
| National team‡ | |||
| 1915–1927 | Uruguay | 24 | (10) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 April 2009 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 April 2009 (UTC) |
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Isabelino Gradín (8 July 1897 in Montevideo – 21 December 1944) was a Uruguayan footballer and athlete. He was one of the greatest footballers in the early era of Uruguayan football and is regarded as one of the greatest Uruguayan players before the Uruguayan win at the 1930 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first South American Championship held in Argentina, where Uruguay became the first champions of the tournament. On 2 July of that tournament against Chile, where Uruguay would go on to win 4-0, Gradin and team mate Juan Delgado became the first black players in history to be fielded in an international tournament. Gradin was also part of the Uruguayan winning team of the 1917 South American Championship. He was also a four-time South American athletics champion in the 400 and 200 metres sprint.
Gradín was born in Montevideo in 1897 and was a great-grandson of African slaves from the kingdom of Lesotho. He was brought up in the Palermo barrio in Montevideo.
Gradín arrived at Peñarol in 1915 where he immediately made an impression, gaining selection for the national team in his first year. Over the course of his career he played in Uruguayan League championship in 1918 and in 1921. He played 212 games for Aurinegros, scoring 101 goals. After a dispute with the club he walked away from Peñarol in 1921.
In 1922 he was involved in the founding of the new Olimpia FC (later known as River Plate). Gradín played at Olimpia until his retirement from football in 1929 though his focus in his later career was on athletics rather than football.
At the age of 18 Gradín made his international debut in July 1915 against Argentina in Montevideo.
The 1916 South American Championship, in which Uruguay took out their first continental championship, is considered to have been Gradín's career high point. As the age of 19 he finished the tournament with three goals and was leading goalscorer for the tournament.
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