Larbi Ben Barek: La Perle Noire
Date of birth: June 16, 1914, Morocco.
Date of death: September 16, 1992 (aged 78) in Casablanca. Six years after his death, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit Award, which is the award of the highest honor in FIFA.
Throughout history we have seen many great names in football.
Every year, new young players come in and light up the pitch, entertain the masses. To reach legend status takes something just a little more than what the average footballer brings to the table. Scoring vital goals, playing through the pain barrier, putting in memorable performances when they really matter—being legendary means different things to different people.
Ben Barek was a shining star of very cosmopolitan background, possibly the first black superstar in an age when elite football was almost totally white.
Born in Casablanca, Ben Barek was the first African star, and the first to bear the nickname of "Black Pearl." Ben Barek blazed a trail to the European, particularly French and Spanish, leagues. He arrived to Marseille, France at the age of 20, and became an instant favourite with the fans for his skills and technical abilities.
Pele, the soccer legend, took the name of the "Black Pearl"some years after. Pele made a famous statement about Larbi in which he said:
“If I am the king of soccer, then Larbi Ben Barek is the god of it."
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