Henri Vascout
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Benoni Waskou | ||
| Date of birth | 17 February 1886 | ||
| Place of birth | 10th arrondissement of Paris, France | ||
| Date of death | 6 May 1936 (aged 50) | ||
| Place of death | 14th arrondissement of Paris, France | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1909–1912 | CA Vitry | ||
| 1912–1913 | Red Star | ||
| 1913–1914 | CA Vitry | ||
| 1915–1919 | Stade Rennais | ||
| 1919–1922 | CA Vitry | ||
| International career | |||
| 1910–1911 | France | 7 | (0) |
| 1912–1913 | Paris | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Henri Vascout (né Benoni Waskou; 17 February 1886 – 6 May 1936) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for CA Vitry and the French national team in the 1910s.
Early life
[edit]Benoni Waskou was born in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on 17 February 1886,[a] to an unknown father and Marie-Marguerite Waskou (1856–?),[b] a seamstress who was a descendant of a family originally from Poland, specifically Lwow (currently known as Lviv).[1] His mother had four children, all out of wedlock, with Benoni being the youngest, while his mother's older sister, Marie-Louise Vaskou,[c] had no children, despite being married.[1] It was perhaps because of this that in 1907, Benoni was adopted by his aunt, with the surname "Vaskou" being later Frenchitized as Vascout.[1]
Vascout was born into a very Catholic family, and likewise, all of his family members have Christian first names, including his half brothers and sisters; Benoni, however, is Jewish, which implies that his unknown father was Jewish as well.[1] Bothered by his first name, he decided to change it to Henri, which was a personal choice from either his adoptive mother or him.[1]
Club career
[edit]Vascout began his career at CA Vitry, which was affiliated with the FCAF.[1] Together with Simon Sollier and Étienne Jourde, he was a member of the CA Vitry team that won back-to-back FCAF Championships in 1910 and 1911, which qualified the club to compete in the Trophée de France, reaching the 1910 final, which they lost 0–2 to Patronage Olier.[1][3] Throughout his career, the local press often wrongly misspelled his surname as Vaskou or even Waskou.[1]
Vascout stayed at CA Vitry for three years, from 1909 until 1912, when he moved to Red Star, with whom he played for one season.[4] In 1913, he returned to Vitry, where he quickly became the team's captain.[5] Despite being only 1.64 meters, he was a very combative and aggressive player, who was capable of passing accurately; for instance, he once scored from 25 meters.[1] During the First World War, he was stationed in Brittany, where he played with Stade Rennais for four years, from 1915 until 1919.[1][4] During this period, he was described by the press as "marvelous", "phenomenal", and even "the best was still and always Vascout".[by whom?][1]
Together with Lucien Leclercq, Charles Robert Ruesch, and George Scoones, he was a member of the Stade Rennais team that won the Coupe des Alliés in 1915–16, a knockout competition contested during World War I, starting in both the semifinals, a 3–0 victory over Le Havre,[6] and in the final, helping his side to a 7–1 trashing of CS Terreaux.[1][7] Two years later, he helped Stade Rennais reach the semifinals of the 1918–19 Coupe de France, which ended in a 4–3 loss to CASG Paris; the local press highlighted him as one of the his team's best players.[8]
In 1919, Vascout returned to CA Vitry, with whom he played for a further three years, until 1922, when he retired, aged 36.[1]
International career
[edit]On 16 April 1910, the 24-year-old Vascout made his international debut for France in a friendly match against England amateurs in Brighton, which ended in a 10–1 loss.[9] The following month, on 15 May, he made his second appearance in a friendly against Italy in Milan, which ended in another heavy loss (6–2).[10] In 1911, Vascout earned a further five caps for a total of seven, helping his side to only one victory, against Luxembourg on 29 October 1911.[9][2]
In December 1912, Vascout was selected to play for a Paris selection (LFA) in a friendly against a London XI, which ended in a 0–2 loss.[11] On 1 November 1913, he played for Paris in a friendly against a London League XI, scoring an own goal in a 0–5 loss.[5] A few weeks later, on 28 November, he was suspended "for life" after "shoving" a referee, whose mother hit him with an umbrella.[1] Despite the life ban, he was retained, and a few years later, in 1917, he was selected to play a friendly against Switzerland in Geneva on 27 November, but the Swiss backed out at the last minute.[1]
Death and legacy
[edit]Vascout died in the 14th arrondissement of Paris on 6 May 1936, at the age of 50.[9][1][12] In his obituary, he was described as "belonging to that generation of robust, hard-working footballers, with unfailing stamina, and who were never found wanting".[1]
Honours
[edit]- CA Vitry
- FCAF Championships
- Champions (2): 1910 and 1911
- Trophée de France:
- Runner-up (1): 1910
Notes
[edit]- ^ Some sources state that he was born in 1885.[2]
- ^ Waskou is most likely an abbreviation of a more complex name, such as Waskowski or even of Waskowicz, similar to how Raymond Kopa was an abbreviation of Kopaszewski.[1]
- ^ It remains unclear why the sisters have differences in the spelling of their surnames.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Les premiers Bleus: Henri Vascout et le coup du parapluie" [The first Blues: Henri Vascout and the umbrella trick]. www.chroniquesbleues.fr (in French). 8 March 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Henri Vascout". www.fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "La F.G.S.P.F gagne de Trophée de France du C.F.I." [The FGSPF won the CFI's Trophée de France]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 30 May 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Henri Vascout (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b "1913–14 Saison de football" [1913–14 football season] (PDF). footnostalgie.free.fr (in French). p. 44. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "La Coupe des Alliés" [The Allied Cup]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 17 May 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Rennes bat Lyon" [Rennes defeats Lyon]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 5 June 1916. p. 1. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "C. A. S. Generale bat Stade Rennais par 4 buts à 3" [C. A. S. Generale beats Stade Rennais by 4 goals to 3]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Le Ballon rond. 9 February 1919. p. 1. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Henri Vascout, international footballer". eu-football.info. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Focus: l'esordio della Nazionale (1910), come nasce la prima Italia" [Focus: the debut of the National team (1910), how the first Italy was born]. www.figc.it (in Italian). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Composition des équipes lors de la rencontre annuelle Paris-Londres" [Composition of the teams during the annual Paris-London meeting]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Le Figaro. 8 December 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "1936, Décès, 14 - Visionneuse" [1936, Deaths, 14 - Viewer]. archives.paris.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- Henri Vascout at WorldFootball.net