The one armed bandit - 29 Nov 1904 - 15 Sep 1960

Hector may have lost his arm, aged thirteen
A chainsmoking gambler, his womanising was obscene

Nicknamed El Manco, the sweetheart of Nacional
Twenty two in twenty five rattled by the little rascal

Fabled charmer with three championships as player
Topped with five as Parque Central’s managing purveyor

A stubborn on pitch streak, with the fans a bond
Struck gold in the inaugural Coupe Du Monde

His country’s first goal, a splendid distinction
A phenonomenon with much gravitational attraction

Unlike Yashin, the ball with Manc would surely be spilt
Nor would he ever rise to palm the ball past Shilts

Cas was a master poacher in the opposition den
Proved in his pinnacle, amongst 80,000 countrymen

In an electric final game and with a minute to go
In the blistering cauldron heat of Montevideo

It’s the Alamo as the Argientines press onward again
The home side counter, vipers striking sudden

Slender lead not worth a penn’orth
As 'El Manco' strikes the killer fourth

The country and Penarol, shrieked for the one armed fella
And Uruguay united under one large umbrella

Enter forever the realm of dark glasses
Forever an assured darling to the sky blue masses

© Emdad Rahman
www.football-poems.com