Héctor Scarone

2.1. Club Career

Scarone spent the majority of his club career with Nacional, where he played for 20 years and secured 21 official titles. With Nacional, Scarone won the Uruguayan Primera División eight times: in 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, and 1934. His other club titles with Nacional include two Copa Honor (1916, 1917), three Copa Competencia (1919, 1921, 1923), one Copa Albion (1919), one Copa León Peyrou (1920), one Torneo Competencia (1934), two Copa de Honor Cousenier (1916, 1917), and three Copa Aldao (1916, 1919, 1920).

Beyond Nacional, Scarone also played for several European clubs. From 1926 to 1927, he was with Spanish side FC Barcelona, where he made 18 appearances, scored 17 goals, and won the Copa del Rey in 1926. Despite his success, he returned to Nacional at his own request. He later moved to Italy, playing for Inter Milan (then known as Ambrosiana-Inter) from 1931 to 1932, where he scored 7 goals in 14 appearances. From 1932 to 1934, he played for Palermo, making 54 appearances and scoring 13 goals. In the middle of the 1934 season, he rejoined his boyhood club Nacional, contributing to their league title win that year. He continued to play for Nacional until the age of 41, even scoring a goal in his final year before retiring in 1939.

2.2. National Team Career

Héctor Scarone's international career with the Uruguay national football team spanned from 1917 to 1930, during which he achieved unparalleled success. He won the Copa América (then known as the South American Championship) four times: in 1917, 1923, 1924, and 1926. At just 19 years old, in his fourth international match, he scored the decisive goal against Argentina in the final of the 1917 South American Championship, securing the title for Uruguay.

Scarone also famously won two Olympic gold medals in football, at the 1924 Paris Olympics and the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. These Olympic football tournaments were widely recognized as world championships by FIFA prior to the establishment of the FIFA World Cup. His crowning achievement came in 1930 when he led Uruguay to victory in the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup, held in his home country.

He concluded his international career with 31 goals in 52 matches, a record that stood for over 80 years as Uruguay's all-time top scorer until it was surpassed by Diego Forlán in 2011. On July 21, 1930, Scarone scored against Romania in the 1930 World Cup, making him the last player born in the 19th century to score in a World Cup final tournament.

2.3. Playing Style and Nicknames

Héctor Scarone was renowned for his exceptional skill and artistry on the football field. His distinctive playing style was characterized by extraordinary ball control, remarkable agility, and an innate ability to outmaneuver opponents. These attributes earned him the popular nicknames "El Mago" (The Magician) and "The Gardel of Football," comparing his elegance and mastery to that of the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel. Despite his relatively small stature, standing at 5.5 ft ^{(1.69 m)} with thin legs, which initially led to his rejection by Nacional, Scarone defied physical limitations with his technical prowess and strategic insight, proving that skill and intelligence could overcome physical disadvantages.

2.4. Statistics

Héctor Scarone maintained impressive goalscoring and appearance records throughout his extensive career.

For Nacional, where he spent 20 years, he scored 163 goals in 191 league appearances, making him the third all-time top scorer in the Uruguayan Primera División. Across all official competitions for Nacional, he amassed 301 goals in 369 appearances, ranking him as the club's second all-time top scorer.

Scarone's international goal tally for Uruguay is detailed below. Uruguay's goal tally is listed first.

2.5. Honours

Héctor Scarone amassed an impressive collection of team titles and individual recognitions throughout his career.

• Club Nacional de Football
  • Uruguayan Primera División: 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1934
  • Copa Honor: 1916, 1917
  • Copa Competencia: 1919, 1921, 1923
  • Copa Albion: 1919
  • Copa León Peyrou: 1920
  • Torneo Competencia: 1934
  • Copa de Honor Cousenier: 1916, 1917
  • Copa Aldao: 1916, 1919, 1920
• FC Barcelona
  • Copa del Rey: 1926
• Uruguay National Team
  • Copa América: 1917, 1923, 1924, 1926
  • Olympic Games Gold Medal: 1924, 1928
  • FIFA World Cup: 1930
  • Individual
    • IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team
    • IFFHS 20th Century World's Best Player: 40th place (1999)
    • Copa América Player of the Tournament: 1917 (unofficial award)