Archie McLean (1894–1971) was a

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

and

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player from

Paisley, Scotland Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wate ...

who

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

in 1912 to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil. In São Paulo, McLean's football career flourished and he became known, on the pitch, as ''Veadinho'' (the little deer).

Charles William Miller Charles William Miller (24 November 1874 – 30 June 1953; ) was a Brazilian sportsman, who is considered to be the father of football in Brazil. Early life He was born in São Paulo to John Miller, a Scottish railway engineer and Brazilian m ...

is commonly regarded as having introduced the sport to the country.

Early career

McLean was a machine mechanic working for J & P Coats, a

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

company. McLean had played for the Ayr F.C. team that amalgamated with Ayr Parkhouse F.C. to form

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

, as well as for Galston and St Johnstone. With St Johnstone he had won the Consolation Cup in 1912.

Scottish Wanderers

McLean was transferred to São Paulo in 1912. Initially he had planned for only a three-month stay. Shortly after taking up residence there, McLean founded an

ex-pat An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

s' football team, the Scottish Wanderers. They played in the local São Paulo State League. McLean's performances caught the attention of the Brazilian public within a year. He was picked for the

São Paulo state SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

team against

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

Later career and death

McLean's involvement at the highest level of Brazilian football ended in the mid-1920s. McLean died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

at 77 years of age.

Footnotes

References

* * * 1894 births 1971 deaths Footballers from Paisley, Renfrewshire Scottish footballers Ayr F.C. players St Johnstone F.C. players Scottish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Brazil Association footballers not categorized by position {{Brazil-footy-bio-stub