( CNN ) -- Modern football is a melting pot of cultures , as players from a variety of ethnic backgrounds share top billing as superstars . It is not always a comfortable mix , as can be seen by the recent racism rows involving John Terry and Luis Suarez . But football 's pantheon of stars has not always been such a rich multicultural tapestry . Far from it . Back in the sport 's infancy in the late 1800s , in its homeland of white-dominated Britain , there were no official leagues and only a handful of domestic cup competitions . International matches were the pinnacle of competition , with England and Scotland contesting the first in 1872 -- and few were played outside the UK and Ireland until the formation of FIFA in 1904 . And it was Scotland which , in 1881 , provided football with its first black international player -- British Guiana-born Andrew Watson . `` He was the son of a Glasgow merchant who traded out in the West Indies and parts of South America as well , '' curator of the Scottish Football Museum Richard McBrearty told CNN . `` It 's a story of the time , I suppose . Andrew would 've been born out of wedlock to a wealthy white merchant and his mother who was native to British Guiana . '' Social attitudes of the time meant that Watson , while enjoying financial support and a good education , was never truly recognized and acknowledged by his father . `` Anything that had to be signed , due to school or education , was usually done through an intermediary , '' McBrearty explained . `` So he was recognized as being of the blood , but there was a distance . '' Early records of Watson show him joining Glasgow team Parkgrove -- which at the time enjoyed a higher profile than now-famous neighbors Glasgow Rangers -- in both a playing and off-pitch capacity . In his role as match secretary , Watson created history by becoming the first black football administrator . In 1880 he joined Queen 's Park , the biggest of the Glasgow clubs and Scotland 's preeminent football power . The following year he represented Scotland in his first of three international outings , captaining the country in a landmark 6-1 victory over England at London 's Oval ground -- now an international cricket venue . `` Even to this day with some of the fantastic teams England have played over the years , such as the Hungarians of 1953 and Pele 's Brazil , that victory for Scotland remains England 's heaviest defeat on home soil , '' said McBrearty . The Scotland team led by Watson pioneered a revolutionary passing game at a time when football was played in a very individual manner . `` He is a hugely important figure within football . He captained Scotland against England , which was absolutely the highest accolade you could have at the time . It was also at a time when Scotland were very successful in international football , '' McBrearty said . `` The way the game was played at that time , Scotland were devising a short passing game . The margin of victory was because Scotland were the first to promote a real team-based passing ethos . Watson was right at the forefront of that . '' Despite his prominent role in the national team , Watson still occasionally encountered abuse which was symbolic of a less enlightened age . `` What we come across in a very polite article about Watson is that he encountered 'splenetic players ' on the field . Now that suggests to me that the color of his skin was a subject of attack , '' McBrearty said . `` That 's an insight into the fact that , even in that time , this was clearly happening and Watson had to rise above that as a footballer and more widely as a human being . '' Watson 's demeanor off the pitch is something McBrearty believes is also of note , saying he had a reputation as a gentleman . `` Certainly there is widespread praise that he wins . The adoration that he has is clearly because he manages to rise above the difficulties that he encounters on the field of play . '' After leaving Queen 's Park , Watson headed to England to play for the now-defunct Swifts club in London . McBrearty believes Watson became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup during the 1882-83 season . Watson passed away in Sydney , Australia in 1902 aged 44 , but McBrearty thinks the contribution he made to football has paved the way for the big-name black players we see in the game today . `` He 's massively important to global football , not just Scottish football , not just British football . He 's one of the first few pioneers . He played international football , he captained the international team and they happened to be the best there was at that time . `` As football spreads across the globe with black players who are now among the best in the world , and you look at the legacy of fantastic Brazilian players like Pele and Garrincha , it really stems back to guys like Watson . ''
Andrew Watson was the first black player to play international football . He captained Scotland on his debut , a 6-1 win over archrivals England . It remains the heaviest home defeat suffered by England . The game is played in front of an audience that includes Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.