From football glory to political tragedy, the story of Joe Gaetjens

When Saudi Arabia performed a miracle scoring two goals in five minutes to stun Lionel Messi’s Argentina in their Qatar 2022 World Cup opener, where the Albiceleste would go on to become champion a few games later, sports data group Nielsen Gracenote said the result was the biggest upset in the tournament’s history.

The scoreline pipped what was previously the biggest World Cup upset of all time, when a near-amateur U.S. team defeated England in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

Not only was 1950 the first post-war edition of the tournament, but it was also the first time England took part, after spending decades at odds with global football federation FIFA.

The U.S. side was unsurprisingly knocked out in the first round — finishing bottom of its group with Spain, England, and Chile — but managed a famous 1-0 victory over England in Belo Horizonte that is still written about today.

What is less well known, however, was the identity of the match’s only goalscorer: Joseph Edouard “Joe” Gaetjens, a 26-year-old Haitian immigrant. For him, that goal would jumpstart a new life, both on and off the pitch. 

A Caribbean jewel

Joe Gaetjens was born in 1924 in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, getting his start in football as a teenager playing for local side Etoile Haïtienne. 

Gaetjens was born to shine. Between 1942 and 1944, he led Haïtienne to two of the only three national championships the club achieved in its history, always impressing with his strength and the variety of his goals.

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