Joe Gaetjens

The Haitian-born forward who scored the goal that shocked England in 1950.

Joseph Edouard Gaetjens (1924–1964) was a professional soccer player who played as a center forward. Born in Haiti, he represented its national team before and after playing for the United States team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, in which he scored the winning goal in the 1–0 upset of England.

Quick Facts

Full name: Joseph Edouard Gaetjens
Born: 19 March 1924
Birthplace: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Died: c. 10 July 1964
Position: Center forward

Lore & Background

Gaetjens won his home national championship in 1942 and 1944 with top-level Etoile Haïtienne. He then moved to the American Soccer League (ASL) and led all players with 18 goals in 15 games for New York's Brookhattan during the 1949–50 season. He was posthumously inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976. Gaetjens is among the Les 100 Héros de la Coupe du Monde, a list drawn up in 1994 by France Football magazine based exclusively on performances at World Cup level.

Reader's Guide

Gaetjens was born in Port-au-Prince on March 19, 1924. He joined Etoile Haïtienne at age fourteen and won two Ligue Haïtienne championships. He moved to New York in 1947 to study accounting at Columbia University, playing three seasons for Brookhattan. After the 1950 World Cup, he played briefly for Racing Club de Paris and Olympique Alès in France. He returned to Haiti in 1954, rejoined Etoile Haïtienne, and left the game in 1957. He was arrested by the Tonton Macoutes on July 8, 1964, and presumed killed at Fort Dimanche; his body has never been found.

Did You Know?

He was not a U.S. citizen but was allowed to play for the U.S. team because he had declared his intention to become one.
He was portrayed by Jimmy Jean-Louis in the 2005 film The Game of Their Lives, a depiction his family criticized as inaccurate.
His son Lesly Gaetjens wrote a biography about him in 2010: The Shot Heard Around the World: The Joe Gaetjens Story.