Francisco Antonio Varallo (; – ) was an Argentine footballer who played as a forward for the Argentina national team from 1930 to 1937, also representing the country at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.

During his career, Varallo won four Primera División titles (one with Gimnasia y Esgrima LP and three with Boca Juniors) and with 194 goals in 222 official matches, is Boca Juniors' 3rd. highest all-time leading goalscorer. Besides, Varallo is placed 11th. among the all-time Argentine Primera División top scorers with 216 goals.

Varallo died in his home-town of La Plata on , aged 100. He was the last surviving player from the 1930 World Cup.

Club career

Early years

Varallo was born in Los Hornos, a district of La Plata Partido in Buenos Aires Province, on 5 February 1910. He made his debut aged 14, and early in his career gained the nickname cañoncito (in English: "little cannon") for his shooting ability.

In 1930, the forward was loaned for free by Gimnasia to Vélez Sársfield to play for the team during their Pan-American tour. He totaled 17 goals during the tour.

Boca Juniors

thumb|Varallo in action v [[San Lorenzo de Almagro|San Lorenzo, c. 1935]]

Varallo moved to Boca Juniors for the start of the 1931 season (the first professional season in Argentina)

He continued to play for the club for the next nine years during which time he won the Primera División title three times, in 1931, 1934 and 1935, as well as coming runner up in 1933, when he was the top goalscorer in the league and of South America scoring 34 goals. with 194 goals in 222 games (scoring average 0.87 per game), a record that stood until 2008 when it was broken by Martín Palermo.

In his late 90s Varallo had joked that he would have to come out of retirement should Martín Palermo overtake his record of 181 professional goals for Boca.

Death

Varallo died on 30 August 2010, in his hometown of La Plata aged 100. The president of the South American Football Confederation Nicolás Léoz also released a statement expressing sadness at Varallo's death.

Following his death, both of his former clubs, Gimnasia and Boca announced a day of mourning, while the South American Football Confederation announced that a minute's silence was to be held during all Copa Sudamericana fixtures the following week.

Honours

Club

;Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)

  • Primera División (1): 1929

;Boca Juniors

  • Primera División (3): 1931, 1934, 1935

International

;Argentina

  • Copa América (1): 1937
  • FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1930

Individual

  • Primera División top scorer (1): 1933
  • Golden Foot (1): 2010, as a football legend

Records

  • Boca Juniors 3rd. highest all-time goalscorer: 194 goals
  • FIFA Order of Merit 1994
  • CONMEBOL Order of Merit 2006