Arthur Wharton (1885–1902, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Darlington)

Arthur Wharton was a goalkeeper and sprinter who is widely regarded as the world’s first black professional footballer. Born in Jamestown, in what is now Accra, Ghana, in 1865, he came to England in 1883 to train as a Methodist missionary but soon devoted himself to sport. He began in goal for Darlington, and his form earned a move to Preston North End, where he was part of the side that reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1886-87.

He turned professional with Rotherham Town in 1889, and in the 1894-95 season, playing for Sheffield United, he became the first black player to appear in the English First Division. He was also a champion sprinter, winning the national amateur 100 yards title in 1886 and equalling the world record of ten seconds, and he was a keen cyclist and cricketer.

Later spells followed with Stalybridge Rovers, Ashton North End and Stockport County before he retired from football in 1902. He afterwards worked in the Yorkshire coal pits and died in 1930, and for many years his grave lay unmarked until a headstone was raised in 1997. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003 in recognition of his place as a pioneer of the game.

Arthur Wharton – Earliest Known Cards

His cards date from the 1880s, before the printed cigarette and trade sets of the twentieth century, and were produced by the shaped-card lithographers J. Baines of Bradford and his Leeds rival J. Briggs:

  • 1886 J. Baines, Darlington, his earliest known card, commemorating his 1886 world-record 100 yards sprint, and among the earliest football cards of any player
  • 1886 J. Briggs, Darlington, a contemporary copy of the Baines design, the example of which sold at auction in January 2024 for £26,800 at the hammer, around £33,500 with fees
  • 1887 J. Baines, fan-shaped, issued shortly after the first card
  • Around 1890 J. Baines, shield-shaped, showing him as a Rotherham Town goalkeeper

Only about five of these Baines and Briggs cards are known to survive, held in museums and private collections.

    See the 2003 Hall of Fame Inductees or browse the full list.