On this day in 1881, Andrew Watson of Queen’s Park became the first black professional footballer to receive an international cap.
And what a debut it was. The full-back captained the Scottish national team against England in London. The Scots recorded an emphatic win by hammering their neighbours 6-1. A few days later, Scotland played Wales and won that game 5-1.
Watson’s captaincy was equally exemplary at club level as he led Queen’s Park to multiple Scottish Cup victories thus becoming the first black footballer to win a major competition in Britain.