Arsenio Erico

Arsenio Pastor Erico Martínez (30 March 1915 – 23 July 1977) was a Paraguayan football striker. According to some researchers, Erico is ranked first among the all-time highest goalscorers in the Argentine Primera División with 293 goals. Nevertheless in 2025 some historians rectified that statistic, placing Ángel Labruna first with 295 goals.^[1]

All the goals in Erico's career in Primera División were scored playing for Independiente. Erico is also considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time and for some is the best player in history, including Alfredo Di Stéfano.^[2] A striker noted for his technique, finishing and aerial ability, Erico was regarded one of the finest players of the 1930s and one of greatest players to have played in the Argentinean league.^[3]

Based on that work, published in 114 parts over more than two years, the statistics showed that Erico had 293 goals and Labruna 290. But as the research pointed out: "The 3-goal difference in Erico's favor was reduced to a minimum when some historians discovered that Labruna had scored 2 goals in the 1949 playoff matches for second place against Platense, which had been ignored by Ramírez". Therefore, the numbers became 293–292.

Career

As a player

Erico, born in Asunción, Paraguay, began his career in Club Nacional of Paraguay and made his debut in the club's first-team squad at the age of 15.^{[citation needed]} During the early 1930s, Erico was part of the Paraguayan Red Cross football team that was on tour in Argentina in order to gather funds for the Chaco War. Because of his good performances during the friendly matches in the mentioned tour, Club Atlético Independiente of Argentina signed him. He made his debut for Independiente on 5 May 1936 and began to demonstrate why he had acquired the nickname 'red jumper'. Before the 1938 FIFA World Cup, Erico was offered an extravagant amount of money to play for the Argentina national football team but he rejected it, gaining the praise in the general Argentine public for remaining loyal to his country of origin. Soon after this, however, Erico caught an infection which led to a long period out on the sidelines. Then, in 1937, he broke his leg. After he recovered, however, he reminded everyone of his talent by taking Independiente to the league title in 1938 and 1939. Later, he joined Huracán where he only played 7 games in 1947 before retiring.

After retirement

After retiring from football, Erico decided to live in Argentina, although he often visited his country of origin. He had a brief career as a coach, managing the club where he started his career as a footballer, Nacional and also had a brief stint in Club Sol de América where he led the team to a second-place finish in the 1957 Paraguayan Primera División. In 1960, he got married with Aurelia Blanco. They had no children.

In 1970 Erico was honored in Asunción, Paraguay during a friendly match between Argentina and Paraguay national sides in the Estadio Defensores del Chaco that was at its full capacity.

In 1977 his left leg had to be cut off, and he finally died of a heart attack on 23 July 1977. While the match between River and Independiente (played the day following his death at Tomas Adolfo Duco Palace) was being played, the crowd acclaimed Erico singing "Se siente, se siente, Erico está presente (We feel it, we feel it, Erico is with us)".

Erico was buried in the Cemetery of Morón in Greater Buenos Aires. Independiente paid the costs of burial expenses and funeral.^[4]

Legacy

Erico was an inspiration to Argentine player Alfredo Di Stéfano, who considered him one of the greatest player ever. Other figures like Brazilian striker Leônidas da Silva and Paraguayan Delfín Benítez Cáceres also consider Erico as one of the best players in history.^[5] Argentine striker Francisco Varallo remembers Erico as a "phenomenon" that would excel in scoring headers due to his high jumps.^[6]

Club Nacional Stadium is named after him, and sections of the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Paraguay and the Libertadores de América stadium in Avellaneda also carry Arsenio Erico's name.^[7] He died on 23 July 1977.

Career statistics

Source:^[8]

Titles

Club

Independiente

• Primera División (2): 1938, 1939
• Copa Dr. Ibarguren (2): 1938, 1939
• Copa Adrián Escobar (1): 1939
• Copa Aldao (2): 1938, 1939

Nacional (Paraguay)

• Primera División (1): 1942

All-time topscorer controversy

Until October 2025, there was high consensus about Erico being the all-time Primera División topscorer.^[9][10]

Nevertheless in October 2025, and after a thorough investigation, historians from Center for the Research of Football History (CIHF) concluded that Ángel Labruna was the all-time topscorer, moving Erico to the 2nd. place.^[11]

They substantiated their statements explaining that previous statistics had been based on Pablo Ramírez's book, The History of Professionalism in Argentine football, published in 1977.^[11][1] The CIHF historians stated that Ramírez's work contained some errors and omissions, since the author deliberately omitted matches that broke ties in the standings or tournaments he considered irrelevant, such as the Reclassification and Promotional tournaments, apart of not even considering the first 40 years of Argentine football (1891–1930)^[11] so the book only covered the period from 1931 when the sport became professional.

In his book, Ramírez stated that Erico had scored 295 and Labruna 293. Nevertheless, further investigations revealed that Erico's three-goal advantage was reduced to a mere trifle when some historians discovered that Labruna had scored two goals in the 1949 second-place playoff matches against Platense, matches that Ramírez ignored. The 293–292 scoreline for Erico was the accepted truth for years.^[11]

Recent investigations revealed that a goal attributed by Ramírez to José Manuel Moreno had actually been scored by Labruna. Most of the media outlets available at the time agreed on Labruna's authorship, while Ramírez published that it was Moreno's, as had the newspaper La Nación. The photograph of Labruna heading the goal dispelled any doubt. That put them tied at 293.^[1]

The most recent revision by CIHF historians –which lasted over six weeks and published in October 2025– concluded that Labruna had scored 295 goals and Erico 293.^[11][1]

Bibliography

• Cajigal, R. (1970). Arsenio Erico (in Spanish). Vol. 14 of the Galería de paraguayos ilustres. Asunción: Editorial Don Bosco.
• Meza Vera, R. (1978). Arsenio Erico: El Paraguayo de Oro (in Spanish). Asunción: Imprenta Comuneros.
• Bogado, C. & Ramírez Santacruz, G. (2006). Arsenio Erico, el ángel que jugó para los diablos: historia del mejor futbolista de todos los tiempos (in Spanish). Asunción: Arandurã Editorial.
• Barraza, J. (2010). Erico Para Siempre (in Spanish). Asunción: Editorial El Lector. ISBN 979-7000051309.

References

1. ^ Fin de la discusión: se supo quién es el goleador histórico de Liga en el fútbol argentino y no es Arsenio Erico at Clarín. 17 Oct 2025
2. ^ "Arsenio Erico: Un jugador glorioso del fútbol paraguayo"^{[dead link]} on ABC
3. ^ Arsenio Erico on World Football Legends
4. ^ "Personajes históricos del Bicentenario: Arsenio Erico" on Ea', 29 April 2011
5. ^ "Arsenio Pastor Saltarín Rojo Erico Martínez". Albigol. 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
6. ^ "Arsenio Erico". Independiente Website. 2003. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
7. ^ La Platea "Arsenio Erico" en "Diabólicos" Archived 6 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
8. ^ "Erico, el paraguayo de oro" Archived 6 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ HISTORIA DEL FÚTBOL. Máximos goleadores en Argentina by Raúl Herrera at laizquierdadiario.com. 1 Dic 2014
10. ^ Arsenio Erico: La leyenda del ‘Saltarín Rojo’ de Independiente y Nacional at Conmebol.com, 30 Mar 2023
11. ^ Máximos goleadores del fútbol argentino ¿Erico o Labruna? at CIHF. 15 Oct 2025