Joe Gaetjens facts for kids

Joseph Edouard Gaetjens (pronounced GAY-jenz) was a famous Haitian soccer player. He is best known for playing for the U.S. national team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup. There, he scored the winning goal in a huge upset victory against England.

Joe also played one match for Haiti in a World Cup qualifying game against Mexico. He won two national championships in Haiti with his club, Etoile Haïtienne. Later, he moved to the American Soccer League (ASL) and was the top scorer for Brookhattan. In 1976, he was added to the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Joe Gaetjens is considered one of the "100 Heroes of the World Cup." This list was created by France Football magazine in 1994. It included the top 100 World Cup players from 1930 to 1990.

Early Life of Joe Gaetjens

Joe Gaetjens was born on March 19, 1924, in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. His parents were Edmond and Antonine Defay. They came from a well-known Haitian family. They lived in a nice part of Port-au-Prince called Bois Verna.

Joe's great-grandfather, Thomas, came from Germany in the 1820s. He married Leonie Déjoie, whose father was a general. This family was very successful. Even though their wealth changed over time, they were still part of Haiti's leading families. When Joe was born, his father registered his birth with the German embassy. This was in case he ever wanted to become a German citizen.

Joe Gaetjens' Club Career

Joe Gaetjens played for several soccer clubs during his career.

Playing for Etoile Haïtienne

Joe joined Etoile Haïtienne when he was just 14 years old. He helped them win two Ligue Haïtienne championships. These wins happened in 1942 and 1944. In his first championship game, at 18, his team was losing 3-0 at halftime. Joe encouraged his teammates to play strong defense.

He then scored a goal to start their comeback. Soon after, his teammate Fritz Joseph scored. With only seven minutes left, Frérot Rouzier tied the game at 3-3. In the final moments, Joe scored the winning goal, making it 4-3. This game was so memorable that the opposing team, Racing Club Haïtien, still refuses to play on that specific day of the year. Joe was known for scoring many goals with his head while playing for this club.

Time with Brookhattan

In 1947, Joe Gaetjens moved to New York City. He went there to study accounting at Columbia University. He had a scholarship from the Haitian government. He realized he couldn't make a good living from soccer in Haiti.

While in New York, he played for Brookhattan in the ASL. In his first season (1947–48), he scored 14 goals. This was the second-highest in the league. In his third season (1949–50), he became the league's top scorer. He scored 18 goals in just 15 games. He earned $25 per game and also worked at the Brookhattan owner's restaurant.

Playing in France

After the 1950 World Cup, Joe went to France. He played briefly for Racing Club de Paris in Division 1. He scored two goals in four games there. Then, he played for Olympique Alès in Division 2. He scored two goals in 15 games for them.

Return to Etoile Haïtienne

Joe Gaetjens returned to Haiti in 1954. He continued to play soccer, rejoining Etoile Haïtienne. He also became a spokesperson for Colgate-Palmolive. He played for a few more seasons. He retired from soccer in 1957, shortly after his first son was born.

Joe Gaetjens' International Career

Joe Gaetjens played for both the Haitian and United States national teams.

Playing for Haiti

Joe first played for the Haiti national team on April 2, 1944. They lost 5-0 to Curaçao. In their next game on April 5, 1944, Haiti lost 2-0 to Venezuela. Both of these matches were friendly games.

Playing for the United States

Joe's great success with Brookhattan caught the eye of U.S. Soccer. He was chosen to play for the U.S. national team in the 1950 World Cup.

Joe played three games in the World Cup. One of these games was one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. The U.S. team, which was not expected to win, played against the strong English team. Joe scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory for the U.S. in Belo Horizonte.

His teammate, Walter Bahr, shot the ball from far away. It was heading towards the English goalkeeper, Bert Williams. It looked like an easy save for Williams. But Joe dove forward and lightly touched the ball with his head. This changed the ball's direction, and it went past the goalkeeper into the net. Williams later thought it was a lucky bounce. However, Laurie Hughes, who was defending Joe, disagreed.

Even though Joe Gaetjens was not a U.S. citizen, he had said he planned to become one. At that time, the rules allowed him to play for the U.S. team. However, Joe never actually became a U.S. citizen.

Return to Haiti's National Team

On December 27, 1953, Joe Gaetjens played in a World Cup Qualifier for Haiti. This game was against Mexico.

Death and Legacy

Joe Gaetjens was not very interested in politics. However, his family was involved. He was related to Louis Déjoie, who lost the 1957 Haitian presidential election. The winner was François Duvalier, also known as "Papa Doc." Joe's younger brothers became involved with a group that wanted to overthrow the government.

On July 8, 1964, the day after Duvalier declared himself "president for life," most of Joe's family left Haiti. They were afraid of what might happen because of his brothers' actions. But Joe stayed. He thought the government would not be interested in him since he was just a sports figure. That morning, he was arrested by the secret police. He was taken to a prison called Fort Dimanche. It is believed he was killed there later that month. His body has never been found.

In 1972, a special game was held to honor Joe. It involved the New York Cosmos and a team of Haitian players. This game took place at Yankee Stadium. Joe Gaetjens was honored again in 1976. He was added to the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame.

In 2010, Joe's son, Lesly Gaetjens, wrote a book about his father. It was called The Shot Heard Around the World: The Joe Gaetjens Story.

The Mystery of Joe Gaetjens' Jersey Number

Many people have become interested in what jersey number Joe Gaetjens wore during the 1950 World Cup. This is partly to honor him or to tease English fans.

Joe's nephew, James, tried to find out his number to make T-shirts. But he couldn't be sure. Joe's son, Lesly, and his mother thought he wore number 10. However, they weren't certain. Lesly's uncle believed Joe wore number 9.

Online fan groups have discussed this a lot. They narrowed down his possible numbers to 9, 17, and 18. Some wondered if numbers were even used for the World Cup team that year. Pictures and videos confirm that numbers were used. But official records from FIFA or the American Soccer History Archives don't mention the numbers worn.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame lists his number as 18. They say this came from Walter Bahr, a player on that World Cup team. But Bahr doesn't remember saying that number. He thinks strikers usually wore number 9. He also said that only two substitutes got numbers, and number 13 was skipped because it was considered bad luck. He mentioned that number 9 might have been taken. Joe was a late addition to the team, which ended up having 16 players.

An ESPN producer who worked on a special about Joe Gaetjens believes his number was 18. They said they were 98-99 percent sure after watching old footage.

However, Joe was seen wearing number 15 in the game against Spain. This was not the number 18 he supposedly wore against England. A high-quality YouTube video of the Spain game clearly shows the number 15 on his back. In contrast, the photo from the England game is from far away. So, it's not 100% certain if the number was 18 after zooming in.

Personal Life

When Joe Gaetjens first arrived in the U.S. from Haiti, some people thought he was Belgian. This was because his last name, Gaetjens, sounded like names from the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. Also, many people moved from Europe to the U.S. in the 1800s. However, his great-grandfather was from northern Germany. The Gaetjens name is not common in Belgium. A similar name, Gätjens, is found in Denmark.

Joe was very good at languages. He could speak French, Spanish, and English fluently.

Honors and Awards

Joe Gaetjens received several honors for his soccer career.

Club Achievements

Etoile Haïtienne

• Ligue Haïtienne: 1942, 1944

Brookhattan

• Runner-up National Challenge Cup: 1948

Individual Awards

• Inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame: 1976
• France Football: World Cup Top-100 1930–1990
• NSCAA Honorary All-America Award: 2015

Top Scoring Performances

• ASL Golden Boot: 1950

Career Statistics

Images for kids

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