Emmanuel Sanon


Emmanuel "Manno" Sanon was a Haitian professional footballer who played as a striker. He starred in the Haiti national team winning the 1973 CONCACAF Championship. Haiti qualified for the finals of the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Though they lost all three matches Sanon scored twice in the tournament.
His goal against Italy when he ran onto a pass from Philippe Vorbe was the first conceded by Italian keeper Dino Zoff in 1,142 minutes of football.
Sanon won his home national championship in 1971 with top-level Don Bosco. He then won the Belgian Cup in the Belgian Pro League in 1979 with the K. Beerschot V.A.C.
Sanon is among the "Les 100 Héros de la Coupe du Monde", which included the top 100 World Cup Players from 1930 to 1990, a list drawn up in 1994 by the France Football magazine based exclusively on their performances at World Cup level.

Early life

Sanon attended the Lycée de Pétion-Ville Secondary School.

Club career

Sanon spent four season with his home club Don Bosco, where he won the national championship in 1971. He then spent six seasons for the K. Beerschot V.A.C., where he won the Belgian Cup in 1979 with a decisive assist to Johan Coninx for the only goal scored. He would finish his tenure in the Belgian Pro League, with 142 matches and 43 goals.
In 1980, Sanon signed with the Miami Americans of the second division American Soccer League. When head coach Ron Newman left the team on 20 June 1980 to become the head coach of the San Diego Sockers of the first division American Soccer League |North American Soccer League], he induced Sanon to also move to the Sockers. Sanon spent three seasons with the Sockers until he suffered a career ending knee injury.

International career

Sanon earned 65 caps and 37 goals for the Haiti national football team.

1974 FIFA World Cup

Having qualified by first knocking out Puerto Rico in a play-off, then topping the final group in the capital Port-au-Prince, Haiti was drawn into a very difficult group featuring two-time champions Italy, future champions Argentina, and Poland, golden medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics and who managed third place in the tournament. While they predictably finished last in the group with three losses and a -12 goal difference, Emmanuel Sanon scored both goals for the country in the tournament. He scored against Argentina in the last game of the group, but by far the most famous goal occurred against Italy. The Azzurri had not let in a goal in 19 games prior to the World Cup, thanks to goalkeeper Dino Zoff. In the opening of the second half, Sanon shocked the Italians with the opening goal. However this lead did not hold and Italy went on to win 3–1. By the time Haiti was tossed from the tournament after losing 7–0 to Poland and 4–1 to Argentina, Sanon had nonetheless cemented his place in footballing history.

Coaching career

Sanon coached the Haiti national team for a year from 1999 to 2000, during which he led his team to the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Death

On 21 February 2008, Emmanuel Sanon died in Orlando, Florida, of pancreatic cancer, aged 56, having received the highest State funeral in the Haitian history and buried in the capital Port-au-Prince. The Haitian Legislature voted to award a perpetual exempted pension to his family posthumously as an honorific gesture for scoring the goals in Haiti's 1974 FIFA World Cup participation.

Career statistics

This list is not completed yet
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 April 1970Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti1–1Friendly
231 October 1971Stade Louis Achille, Fort-de-France, Martinique2–2Friendly
328 November 1971Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago6–11971 CONCACAF Championship
41 December 1971Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago3–11971 CONCACAF Championship
513 February 1972Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis4–4Friendly
615 April 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti7–01973 [CONCACAF Championship qualification]
715 April 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti7–01973 CONCACAF Championship qualification
815 April 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti7–01973 CONCACAF Championship qualification
923 April 1972San Juan, Puerto Rico5–01973 CONCACAF Championship qualification
1023 April 1972San Juan, Puerto Rico5–01973 CONCACAF Championship qualification
1123 April 1972San Juan, Puerto Rico5–01973 CONCACAF Championship qualification
1214 December 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti1–03–0Friendly
1314 December 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti2–03–0Friendly
1414 December 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti3–03–0Friendly
1517 December 1972Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti4–1Friendly
1630 January 1973Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana3–1Friendly
176 February 1973Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados2–3Friendly
188 February 1973Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago4–2Friendly
195 November 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti1–01–0Friendly
2010 November 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti5–1Friendly
2110 November 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti5–1Friendly
2210 November 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti5–1Friendly
231 December 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti3–01973 CONCACAF Championship
241 December 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti3–01973 CONCACAF Championship
254 December 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti2–11973 CONCACAF Championship
2613 December 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti2–11973 CONCACAF Championship
2713 December 1973Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti2–11973 CONCACAF Championship
2813 November 1974Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti2–1Friendly
2915 June 1974Olympic Stadium, Munich, West Germany1–01–31974 FIFA World Cup
3023 June 1974Olympic Stadium, Munich, West Germany1–31–41974 FIFA World Cup
3130 July 1976National Stadium, Oranjestad, Netherlands Antilles2–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3230 July 1976National Stadium, Oranjestad, Netherlands Antilles2–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3314 August 1976Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti7–01977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3414 August 1976Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti7–01977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3528 November 1976Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba1–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3611 December 1976Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti1–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
3716 October 1977Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico1–01–01977 CONCACAF Championship

Honours

Don Bosco
Beerschot
San Diego Sockers
Haiti
Individual
Orders