Francisco Varallo, who played in soccer’s first World Cup in 1930, dies at 100

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Former Argentine soccer player Francisco Varallo, the last surviving player from the first World Cup in 1930, died Monday in La Plata, Argentina. He was 100.

His death was confirmed by his former Argentine club Gimnasia y Esgrima, which did not specify the cause of death.

Varallo played in the final between Uruguay and Argentina in Montevideo, Uruguay — a match that Argentina famously lost 4-2.

Varallo began his career with the club Gimnasia y Esgrima but made his mark with Boca Juniors. He is Boca’s second-leading scorer with 194 goals, behind only the club’s current striker Martin Palermo. Varallo was nicknamed Canoncito (Little Cannon) for his powerful shot.

-- Associated Press