Long before Erling Haaland, Thierry Henry and Eric Cantona, there was George Robledo, the first overseas star of English football. Abandoned by his father as a child in Chile, Robledo came to the UK, where he was raised in a Yorkshire mining village, serving underground as a ‘Bevin Boy’ during the Second World War prior to making his name with Barnsley. During the 1951–52 season, his thirty-three goals for Newcastle United in what is now the Premier League were the most goals scored in a single season by an overseas registered, foreign-born player, a record that has stood unbroken for over seventy years – despite what the record books might say.
Postcards from Santiago is the poignant, inspiring story of Robledo’s remarkable journey from the moon-like wastes of the Atacama Desert to the cover of John Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges, via Wembley glory and the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Where, in England’s first ever World Cup match, Robledo became the first Football League player from outside the British Isles to face England in an official international.
Featuring interviews with family, friends and admirers, this fascinating biography is the definitive account of a man who overcame immense hardship and heartache to become a sporting trailblazer in his adopted homeland and a national hero in his native Chile.
Spencer Vignes is a freelance writer and broadcaster who lives in Cardiff, Wales. He has contributed to over 100 newspapers, magazines and media agencies across the world and is the author of eight books, including The Server, which was longlisted for the 2003 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. Visit www.spencervignes.co.uk for more information.
