:John Harley (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = John Harley

| image = John Harley Gravestone.jpg

| image_size = 200

| caption = Harley's grave at the Montevideo British Cemetery.

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1886|3|5}}

| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1960|5|15|1886|3|5}}

| death_place = Montevideo, Uruguay

| height =

| position =

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1906–1908

| clubs1 = Ferro Carril Oeste

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1909–1920

| clubs2 = Peñarol

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| totalcaps =

| totalgoals =

| nationalyears1 = 1909–1916

| nationalteam1 = Uruguay{{ cite web | title = John Harley | url = https://auf.org.uy/john-harley/ | publisher = Uruguayan Football Association | access-date = 23 October 2023 | language = Spanish }}

| nationalcaps1 = 22

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1909–1910

| managerclubs1 = Uruguay

| manageryears2 =

| managerclubs2 = Peñarol

| manageryears3 = 1942

| managerclubs3 = Peñarol

| medaltemplates =

}}

John Harley (also known as Juan Harley; 5 March 1886 – 15 May 1960) was a Uruguay international footballer of Scottish background.

Early life

Harley was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886 and was raised in Cathcart.[https://www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-history-news-and-blog/school-days-in-cathcart-the-earliest-pictures-of-john-harley-el-reformador-of-uruguayan-football School days in Cathcart: the earliest pictures of John Harley, 'El Reformador' of Uruguayan football], Andy Mitchell, Scottish Sport History, 28 April 2024 By 1906 he had become a railway engineer working in Springburn, near Glasgow. In that year he moved to South America to work on railways along the Río de la Plata.{{cite news|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/forgotten-scots-who-changed-the-world-1.980020|title=Forgotten Scots who changed the world|last=Leadbetter|first=Russell|date=5 May 2009|publisher=Evening Times|accessdate=7 December 2009}} Initially he worked in Argentina where he worked for the Bahía Blanca and North Western Railway and the Buenos Aires Western Railway.

On arriving in Uruguay in 1909 Harley worked for the Central Uruguay Railway. He worked for the railway for 37 years until his retirement.

Playing career

=Club career=

In Argentina Harley played for Ferro Carril Oeste before being recruited by Uruguayan club Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (later Peñarol). Harley was spotted by C.U.R.C.C. when they played a friendly match against Ferro Carril Oeste in 1908.{{cite web|url=http://carbonero.com/index.php/Idolos-1891-1929/john-harley.html|title=John Harley "El Yoni"|publisher=Carbonero.com|language=Spanish|accessdate=7 December 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227095322/http://www.carbonero.com/index.php/Idolos-1891-1929/john-harley.html|archivedate=27 February 2009}}

Harley played with C.U.R.C.C./Peñarol from 1909 until his retirement from football in 1920.{{cite book|last=Finn|first=Gerry P. T.|author2=Giulianotti, Richard |title=Football culture: local contests, global visions |publisher=Routledge|year=2000|pages=141|isbn=0-7146-5041-2}} He captained C.U.R.C.C./Peñarol for ten seasons.

=International career=

Harley played his first match for Uruguay in September 1909. He played the last of his 17 matches for the national team in October 1916.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/uru-recintlp.html |title=Appearances for Uruguay National Team |accessdate=7 December 2009 |url-status=live|website=RSSSF |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116133931/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/uru-recintlp.html |archivedate=16 January 2017 }}

Management career

Harley acted as a player/manager of the Uruguay national team from 1909 until at least 1910.{{cite web|url=http://www.iffhs.de/?384f02788ac03f4d85fc8f14285fdcdc3bfcdc0aec28d6eda0a70b|title=Official World Record (30.11.1872 - 31.12.1910) - World ranking of the national coaches|publisher=IFFHS|accessdate=8 December 2009}}

After retiring as a player Harley managed Peñarol.{{cite book|last=Mason|first=Tony|title=Passion of the people?: football in South America |publisher=Verso|year=1995|pages=24|isbn=0-86091-403-8}}{{Cite web|url=http://girasolweb.tripod.com/tecnicos.htm|title=Tecnicos}}

Legacy

Harley's time with Peñarol as a player and manager is considered significant for the fact that he changed the Uruguayan style of football from a focus on long ball to a game that featured short passing. This style of play is considered to have contributed to Peñarol and Uruguay achieving significant success up to the 1920s.{{cite news|url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/football/Scots-passing-pioneers-shaped-football.3905190.jp|title=Scots passing pioneers shaped football|last=Aitken|first=Mike|date=22 March 2008|publisher=The Scotsman|accessdate=8 December 2009}}

Later life and death

In 1951 Harley was honoured with a match between Peñarol and Rampla Juniors at the Estadio Centenario. Over 40,000 spectators, including many former colleagues and members of successful Uruguayan teams, turned out to honour Harley's contribution to Uruguayan football.{{cite web|url=http://www.gedboy.com/harley.html|title=John Harley|publisher=gedboy.com|accessdate=8 December 2009}}

Harley died in 1960 in Uruguay, and was buried in The British Cemetery in Montevideo.{{cite web|url=http://www.iffhs.de/?29da14a8db55289ad4a99a54a85fdcdc3bfcdc0aec28d6eda0ae07|title=Torneo: América del Sud - Centenario|publisher=IFFHS|accessdate=8 December 2009}}{{cite book|last=Murray|first=Bill|author2=Murray, William J.|title=The world's game: a history of soccer |publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=1998|pages=40|isbn=0-252-06718-5}}

Honours

CURCC / Peñarol{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY'S WORLD CUP MASTERMIND | url = https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/issue-2/uruguays-world-cup-mastermind/ | magazine = Nut Meg Magazine | date = 19 February 2019 | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}{{ cite web | title = Glorious Chickadees - Portraits - John HARLEY | url = https://www.xn--pearol-xwa.org/El-club/Carboneros-Gloriosos--Semblanzas--John-HARLEY-uc7303 | publisher = Peñarol.org | language = es | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}

Primera División: 1911, 1918
Copa de Competencia: 1909,{{ cite web | title = The Competition Cup finals | url = https://viejosestadios.blogspot.com/2018/06/las-finales-de-la-copa-competencia.html?m=1 | website = viejosestadios.com | access-date = 16 December 2023 | language = es }} 1910, 1916
Copa de Honor Cousenier: 1909, 1911
Tie Cup: 1916

Uruguay national team

Copa Newton: 1913,{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY - ARGENTINA 1:0 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1913/uruguay-argentina-3 | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }} 1915{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY - ARGENTINA 2:0 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1915/uruguay-argentina-2 | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}
Copa Argentino: 1910{{ cite web | title = ARGENTINA - URUGUAY 2:6 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1910/argentina-uruguay-3 | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}
Copa Uruguayo: 1911,{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY - ARGENTINA 3:0 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1911/uruguay-argentina-3 | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }} 1913,{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY - ARGENTINA 1:0 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1913/uruguay-argentina-2 | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }} 1914{{ cite web | title = URUGUAY - ARGENTINA 3:2 | url = https://albicelestes.com/1914/uruguay-argentina | publisher = Argentina Football National Team Archive | website = albicelestes.com | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}