Paulino Alcántara

Paulino Alcántara Riestrá (1896 to 1964) was a forward born in the Philippines who became one of the great goalscorers of early twentieth century European football. He joined the FC Barcelona first team at fifteen years, four months and eighteen days, scoring a hat-trick on debut in 1912, and he remains the youngest player ever to play or score for the club. Over his career he scored 395 goals in 399 matches, a club record that stood for 87 years, and won ten Catalan championships, five Copa del Rey titles and two Pyrenees Cups. He played internationally for Catalonia, the Philippines and Spain, and spent the years from 1916 to 1918 in Manila, where he helped Bohemian Sporting Club win Philippine championships while studying medicine. He retired in 1927 to practise as a doctor, later served as a Barcelona director, and briefly helped coach Spain in 1951. FIFA has recognised him as one of the best strikers in football history.