Emmanuel Sanon
|
Manno Sanon, the one who beat Dino Zoff
|
|
|
Emmanuel Sanon was born on June 25th, 1951, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Son of Darius Sanon, from Jacmel, and Cherisna Fortune Sanon, from Kenscoff. Attended Fabre Geffrard Primary School, Lycee Firmin & Lycee de Petion-Ville Secondary School, Sanon made his name as a striker with the Don Bosco club of Petionville. In 1973 the Haitian Football Federation successfully lobbied for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament to be staged in Port-au-Prince. The favourites, Mexico and Trinidad, were eclipsed by the young Haitian team, and Sanon's goals propelled his team to the top of the group. Haiti became the first Caribbean team to qualify for the World Cup Finals. The 1974 World Cup Finals in West Germany were contested by just 16 teams. Haiti's first game, against the 1970 runners up, Italy, took place in Munich in front of 65,000 spectators. 0-0 at half time, but within two minutes of the restart, Sanon claimed his place in World Cup history, and in the hearts of Haitian fans, by giving Haiti the lead against the legendary Italian goalkeeper, Dino Zoff. Hugh McIlvanney, of The Observer newspaper wrote "Emmanuel Sanon, a powerfully built and spiritedly aggressive forward from Port-au-Prince, did what some of the greatest players in the world had failed to do in Zoff's 12 previous games for Italy." The Haitian team lost the game, and their two others against Poland and Argentina, but Sanon had become a star. In four years he scored 47 of the 106 goals scored by the Haitian national team, and he went on to enjoy a successful career with Beershcoot of Antwerp, at that time a force in Belgian football. Manno Sanon's goals put Haiti on the footballing map when, in 1974, it became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the World Cup finals. Manno recalls the euphoria and tensions after Mexico's failure to beat Trinidad in the qualification tournament played in Port-au-Prince meant Haiti were through to the finals in West Germany, "It was the first time a small country like Haiti had qualified for the World Cup. At that time there were only 16 teams in the tournament, so it was quite something. The night we knew we had qualified, well, the country was upside down. It was crazy." The team's first game was against Italy, finalists in 1970, and led by goalkeeper Dino Zoff who had just completed 12 consecutive internationals without conceding a goal. "Everybody was asking who would beat Dino Zoff. The newspapers mentioned European and South American players, but nobody thought a Haitian could do it. That upset me because I knew I could do it", said Manno Sanon. The Haitian team surpassed all expectations by holding Italy to 0-0 in the first half. Two minutes into the second half, Manno shocked everyone but himself. "With my pace, you can't leave me with just one defender, but that is what happened. I was one-on-one with Spinosi. I received a pass from Phillipe Vorbe. I beat the defender with my speed. One-on-one with Dino Zoff, and the goal was wide open. I dummied to go left, and then went right. I rounded him, and rolled the ball into the net." The team lost its two other matches with Poland and Argentina, but Manno's goal against Zoff had made him a star. After the tournament he signed for the Antwerp club, Beerschoot, at that time a force to be reckoned with in Belgian football. ATHLETIC CAREER AMATEUR:
INTERNATIONAL CAREER:
PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
COACHING CAREER:
COACHING LINCENSED AND ADMINISTRATION:
For more information on his career be sure to purchase his book:
|
