Archie McLean

Who was Archie McLean?

Archie McLean was a mechanic and association football player from Paisley, Scotland whose emigration in 1912 to São Paulo, Brazil led to the adoption by the locals of a very fast, short-passing style of play which would later come to characterise Brazilian football.

In São Paulo, McLean's football career flourished and he became known, on the pitch, as Veadinho. While Charles William Miller is commonly regarded as having introduced the sport to the country, McLean has been described as "the forgotten father of Brazilian football" for his role in the development of the Brazilian style.