Arsenio Pastor Erico Martínez (30 March 1915 – 23 July 1977) was a Paraguayan football striker. According to some researchers, Erico is ranked first among the all-time highest goalscorers in the Argentine Primera División with 293 goals. Nevertheless in 2025 some historians rectified that statistic, placing Ángel Labruna first with 295 goals.

All the goals in Erico's career in Primera División were scored playing for Independiente. Erico is also considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time and for some is the best player in history, including Alfredo Di Stéfano. A striker noted for his technique, finishing and aerial ability, Erico was regarded one of the finest players of the 1930s and one of greatest players to have played in the Argentinean league.

Based on that work, published in 114 parts over more than two years, the statistics showed that Erico had 293 goals and Labruna 290. But as the research pointed out: "The 3-goal difference in Erico's favor was reduced to a minimum when some historians discovered that Labruna had scored 2 goals in the 1949 playoff matches for second place against Platense, which had been ignored by Ramírez". Therefore, the numbers became 293–292.

Career

As a player

thumb|left|230px|Erico heading the ball in a match against [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate, c. 1939]]

Erico, born in Asunción, Paraguay, began his career in Club Nacional of Paraguay and made his debut in the club's first-team squad at the age of 15.

During the early 1930s, Erico was part of the Paraguayan Red Cross football team that was on tour in Argentina in order to gather funds for the Chaco War. Because of his good performances during the friendly matches in the mentioned tour, Club Atlético Independiente of Argentina signed him. He made his debut for Independiente on 5 May 1936 and began to demonstrate why he had acquired the nickname 'red jumper'. Before the 1938 FIFA World Cup, Erico was offered an extravagant amount of money to play for the Argentina national football team but he rejected it, gaining the praise in the general Argentine public for remaining loyal to his country of origin. Soon after this, however, Erico caught an infection which led to a long period out on the sidelines. Then, in 1937, he broke his leg. After he recovered, however, he reminded everyone of his talent by taking Independiente to the league title in 1938 and 1939. Later, he joined Huracán where he only played 7 games in 1947 before retiring.

After retirement

thumb|left|170px|Erico (right) with then Argentine league topscorer [[Héctor Scotta in 1975]]

After retiring from football, Erico decided to live in Argentina, although he often visited his country of origin. He had a brief career as a coach, managing the club where he started his career as a footballer, Nacional and also had a brief stint in Club Sol de América where he led the team to a second-place finish in the 1957 Paraguayan Primera División. In 1960, he got married with Aurelia Blanco. They had no children.

In 1970 Erico was honored in Asunción, Paraguay during a friendly match between Argentina and Paraguay national sides in the Estadio Defensores del Chaco that was at its full capacity.

In 1977 his left leg had to be cut off, and he finally died of a heart attack on 23 July 1977. While the match between River and Independiente (played the day following his death at Tomas Adolfo Duco Palace) was being played, the crowd acclaimed Erico singing "Se siente, se siente, Erico está presente (We feel it, we feel it, Erico is with us)".

Erico was buried in the Cemetery of Morón in Greater Buenos Aires. Independiente paid the costs of burial expenses and funeral.

Legacy

Erico was an inspiration to Argentine player Alfredo Di Stéfano, who considered him one of the greatest player ever. Other figures like Brazilian striker Leônidas da Silva and Paraguayan Delfín Benítez Cáceres also consider Erico as one of the best players in history. Argentine striker Francisco Varallo remembers Erico as a "phenomenon" that would excel in scoring headers due to his high jumps.

Club Nacional Stadium is named after him, and sections of the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Paraguay and the Libertadores de América stadium in Avellaneda also carry Arsenio Erico's name. He died on 23 July 1977.

Career statistics

thumb|120px|Erico with Independiente, the only club where he played in Argentina

Source:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |National Cup

! colspan="2" |Super Cup

! colspan="2" |Total

|-

!Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

|-

| rowspan="3" |Nacional

|1931

| rowspan="3" |Paraguayan Primera División

|3

|0

| -

| -

| -

| -

|3

|0

|-

|1932

|5

|6

| -

| -

| -

| -

|5

|6

|-

|1933

|6

|11

| -

| -

| -

| -

|6

|11

|-

| rowspan="11" |Independiente Petrolero

! colspan="2" |Total

!14

!17

!-

!-

!-

!-

!14

!17

|-

|1934

| rowspan="9" |Argentine Primera División

|21

|12

|2

| -

| -

| -

|23

|12

|-

|1935

|20

|22

| -

| -

| -

| -

|20

|22

|-

|1936

|26

|21

| -

| -

| -

| -

|26

|21

|-

|1937

|29

|47

| -

| -

| -

| -

|29

|47

|-

|1938

|31

|43

| -

| -

|1

|2

|32

|45

|-

|1939

|32

|41

| -

| -

|1

|2

|33

|43

|-

|1940

|31

|29

| -

| -

| -

| -

|31

|29

|-

|1941

|27

|26

| -

| -

| -

| -

|27

|26

|-

|1942

|3

|0

| -

| -

| -

| -

|3

|0

|-

! colspan="2" |Total

!220

!241

!2

!-

!2

!4

!224

!245

|-

| rowspan="2" |Nacional

|1942

|Paraguayan Primera Division

|1

|2

| -

| -

| -

| -

|1

|2

|-

! colspan="2" |Total

!1

!2

!-

!-

!-

!-

!1

!2

|-

| rowspan="5" |Independiente Petrolero

|1943

| rowspan="4" |Argentine Primera División

|29

|17

| -

| -

| -

| -

|29

|17

|-

|1944

|27

|12

| -

| -

| -

| -

|27

|12

|-

|1945

|30

|20

| -

| -

| -

| -

|30

|20

|-

|1946

|19

|5

| -

| -

| -

| -

|19

|5

|-

! colspan="2" |Total

!105

!54

!-

!-

!-

!-

!105

!54

|-

| rowspan="2" |Huracán

| rowspan="1" |1947

|Argentine Primera División

|7

|0

| -

| -

| -

| -

|7

|0

|-

! colspan="2" |Total

!7

!0

!-

!-

!-

!-

!7

!0

|-

| rowspan="3" |Nacional

|1948

| rowspan="2" |Paraguayan Primera División

|2

|1

| -

| -

| -

| -

|2

|1

|-

|1949

|7

|4

| -

| -

| -

| -

|7

|4

|-

! colspan="2" |Total

!9

!5

!-

!-

!-

!-

!9

!5

|-

! colspan="3" |Career total

!356

!319

!2

!-

!2

!4

!360

!323

|}

Titles

Club

;Independiente

  • Primera División (2): 1938, 1939
  • Copa Dr. Ibarguren (2): 1938, 1939
  • Copa Adrián Escobar (1): 1939
  • Copa Aldao (2): 1938, 1939

;

;Nacional (Paraguay)

  • Primera División (1): 1942

All-time topscorer controversy

Until October 2025, there was high consensus about Erico being the all-time Primera División topscorer.

Nevertheless in October 2025, and after a thorough investigation, historians from Center for the Research of Football History (CIHF) concluded that Ángel Labruna was the all-time topscorer, moving Erico to the 2nd. place.

They substantiated their statements explaining that previous statistics had been based on Pablo Ramírez's book, The History of Professionalism in Argentine football, published in 1977.