Celebrating Andrew Watson

Today's Doodle celebrates Scottish footballer Andrew Watson as he looks into the future at Black football legends to come and was illustrated by London-based guest artist Selom Sunu. Watson is considered to be the first Black international footballer, the first Black footballer to captain his country, and the first Black football administrator in history. On this day in 1884, Watson took the field for Scottish football team Queen’s Park in the first game played at the new Hampden Park stadium.

Watson was born in 1856 in Georgetown, Guyana to a wealthy Scottish businessman and Guyanese woman. At age 5, Watson and his father moved to Britain where football was becoming increasingly popular. He fell in love with the sport while attending English public schools in Yorkshire and Wimbledon. 

After his father’s death, Watson inherited his wealth and became financially independent. This allowed him to enroll at the University of Glasgow where he studied engineering, natural philosophy and mathematics. Instead of graduating, 21-year-old Watson started a wholesale warehouse business and played football on the side. 

Watson gained a reputation for his fast and skillful style of play as a full-back for Queen's Park FC, one of the best football clubs in Scotland. Thanks to his experience as a businessman, he was also match secretary. After Queen’s Park FC won a Scottish football title, Watson earned a chance to play for Scotland’s international team. He became the first Black man to captain his country and led Scotland to multiple wins over their rival, England, including a 6-1 victory—which remains the biggest home loss for England, ever!

His success on the international stage spurred offers from the best clubs in Scotland and England. In 1887, Watson signed with Bootle FC in northern England. At this time, amateur clubs didn’t pay their players, but Bootle FC was known to pay high-profile names. If Watson had received money to play for the Liverpool club, he would technically be the first Black professional footballer.

Over the course of his 14-year career, Watson won the Scottish Cup three times and won all three matches he played in against England.The Hampden Bowling club in Glasgow, the site of Scotland's third victory over England, features a mural of Watson. Over a century has passed since Watson’s playing days, but his impact can still be felt across the sport today, as a shining example of lighting the way for past, current and future generations of Black footballers.

Guest Artist Q&A with Selom Sunu

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by London-based guest artist Selom Sunu. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A: My first thought was 'Am I awake?'. I had literally just woken up from a nap when I saw the email asking if I'd be interested and I think I said 1000% yes! Drawing a Google Doodle was a specific career goal of mine and I've even drawn my own silly versions in the past so I was over the moon. When I found out it was football-related, I was even more excited. Being able to combine my love for drawing and my love for football is something really special. I will definitely be printing and hanging this Doodle on my wall.

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?

A: The original idea of Watson with the generations of footballers after him and representing those footballers as children was given to me by God. While doing research I decided to look up black footballers who had won or been nominated for the Ballon D'or award (football's most prestigious individual award). Of that amazing list I wanted to pay tribute to Eusebio (the first black winner), George Weah (the only African winner), Ronaldo and Ronaldinho (who represent the days when Brazil were far better than any other International team) and Thierry Henry (nominee) because I'm an arsenal fan and he's a legend. The drawings of the children were inspired by these players in some way.

Q. Did you learn anything surprising or noteworthy while researching for this Doodle?

A: It was really interesting to me that Watson came from a wealthy family and seemed to be an all-round good sportsman, not just football. I was also interested to learn that he not only stood out because of his skin colour but wore what were described as 'unique brown boots' — I'm assuming most people at the time wore black boots. More than anything though, I gained a new respect for Scottish people who allowed him to play for the National team back in the 1890s (I know it wasn't without its problems, but it's still surprising).

Q. Is there a message you hope people take away from the Doodle?

A: I hope people will be inspired to have a go at football or any other sport regardless of their age as it can be a great way to make friends,  have fun, and stay active. I also hope people will be inspired to do the best they can with the skills they develop. You never know who else might be inspired by what you do, even if it's ordinary to you. I imagine Andrew Watson was just living his life the best he could, not knowing how great an impact he would have on others.

Q. Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

A: Following on from what I hope people will take from the Doodle, I firmly believe every person on earth was created for a purpose and, as a result, we had certain passions and interests as a child. I think it's important to pay attention to those. Not everyone will earn a living from their interests, but if there's something you have a passion for, try and keep it up as a hobby. You never know, it could lead to other job opportunities you didn't expect or it could serve as a good escape from the harsh realities of life which is so important. Don't let anyone tell you you're too old to watch cartoons or too short to play basketball if those are things you enjoy. I hope this encourages you!

Discover more about Andrew Watson’s life on Google Arts & Culture