Alfred Bloch (22 February 1878 – 20 June 1902), also known as Jean Bloch, was a French footballer who played as a defender and who competed in the football tournament at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, winning a silver medal as a member of the USFSA Olympic team representing France, which was primarily made up of Club Français players.[1][2][3] Bloch was Jewish.[1]

Alfred Bloch
Bloch (standing, second from the left) with the French team at the 1900 Olympics.
Personal information
Full name Alfred Bloch
Date of birth (1878-02-22)22 February 1878
Place of birth Anvers, France
Date of death 20 June 1902(1902-06-20) (aged 24)
Place of death Paris, France
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1895–1901 Club Français
International career
1900 France (Olympic) 2 (+0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
Football at the Summer Olympics
Silver medal – second place 1900 Paris Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Club career

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Bloch (2nd row, second from left) featured in the Club Français team that won the 1896 championship of France.

Together with Lucien Huteau, Marcel Lambert, Gaston Peltier, Georges Garnier, and captain Eugène Fraysse, Bloch was a starter in the Club Français team that won the 1896 USFSA Football Championship, doing so without losing a single match.[4]

 
Bloch (standing, first from right) with Club Français at the Parc des Princes on 26 December 1897.

On 26 December 1897, Bloch started as a midfielder in the very first football match in the history of the Parc des Princes in front of 500 spectators, in which Club Français was defeated 1–3 by the English Ramblers.[5] On 28 March 1898, he started in the 1898 Coupe Manier final at the Vélodrome de Vincennes, helping his side to a 10–0 win over Paris Star.[6] In the following year, on 16 April 1899, Bloch started in the play-off match against Standard AC to decide the 1898–99 USFSA Paris championship [fr], which ended in a 3–2 win.[7] This victory qualified the club to the 1899 USFSA national championship, in which Club Français withdrew from the final before facing Le Havre AC.[8]

Bloch was a member of the Club Français team that won the 1899–1900 USFSA Paris championship [fr].[9] On 6 May 1900, Bloch missed the final of the 1900 USFSA Football Championship against Le Havre AC, which ended in another loss to Le Havre AC (0–1), partly because Club Français' "defensive line was disorganized due to the absence of Bloch".[10]

International career

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Bloch (standing, second from the left) with the French team at the 1900 Olympics.

Bloch was listed as a midfielder for the USFSA team at the 1900 Olympic Games.[11] He was selected for both matches, which ended in a 0–4 loss to Upton Park on 20 September, and in a 6–2 win over a team representing Belgium three days later.[12] The French team came second and Bloch was thus awarded with a silver medal.[2][1][13]

Death

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Bloch died of meningitis in Paris on 20 June 1902, at the age of 24, and was buried in Antwerp.[2] If the two matches played by the French team during the 1900 Olympic Games are considered, then he is the first French international to have died.[citation needed]

Honours

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Club

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Club Français

International

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France MNT

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Dr. George Eisen. "Jewish Olympic Medalists". Jewishsports.net. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Alfred Bloch". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Jean Bloch - Player Profile - Football". www.eurosport.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  4. ^ Denaunay, Stéphane; De Ryswick, Jacques; Cornu, Jean; Vermand, Dominique (July 1989). 100 ans de football en France [100 years of football in France] (in French). Paris: Atlas. p. 27. ISBN 9782731207434. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  5. ^ "Ramblers contre Club Français" [Ramblers against Club Français]. www.retronews.fr (in French). Le Journal des sports. 27 December 1897. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  6. ^ "La Coupe Manier". www.retronews.fr (in French). Le Journal des sports. 28 March 1898. p. 2. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Championnat de Paris - Club Français contre Standard Athletic Club" [Paris Championship - Club Français against Standard Athletic Club]. www.retronews.fr (in French). Le Journal des sports. 17 April 1899. p. 2. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  8. ^ "1898-99 season in France". RSSSF. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Les grandes équipes de football" [The Great Football Teams]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). La Vie au grand air. 14 January 1900. p. 23. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Championnat de France - Club Français (1) contre La Havre AC (1)" [French Championship - Club Français (1) against La Havre AC (1)]. www.retronews.fr (in French). Le Journal des sports. 7 May 1900. p. 2. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Paris 1900, en sport de démonstration" [Paris 1900, in demonstration sport]. www.fff.fr (in French). 10 July 2024. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Games of the II. Olympiad". RSSSF. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Alfred Bloch Olympic medals and stats". Databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
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