Louis Darques

Louis Théodule Darques (8 June 1896 – 18 February 1984) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for Olympique de Pantin and the France national team between 1917 and 1924. He was the captain of the Pantin team for several years, leading them to three finals of the Coupe de France between 1918 and 1921, and netting a goal in two of them, including in the tournament's first-ever final in 1918, thus becoming the first captain to lift a Coupe de France trophy.

Club career Early career Born on 8 June 1896 in the Saint-Ouen, Paris, thus contributing decisively in helping his side reach the first-ever final of the Coupe de France, held on 5 May in Paris, in which he failed to convert a penalty in the first-half, but then redeemed himself by scoring his side's third goal in an eventual 3–0 win over FC Lyon. In the following day, the journalists of the French newspaper L'Auto (the future L'Équipe) praised his performance, stating that for his goal he "dribbled through the FC Lyon rearguard, resisting shoulder blows and pressure". in the following day, L'Auto stated that he "is currently one of the best French forwards". In the final, he once again captained by example, scoring a second-half equaliser to force extra-time in an eventual 3–2 loss to CASG Paris. On many of these finals, their opponent was Jules Rimet's Red Star, such as the 1921 cup final, which ended in a 2–1 loss; Darques nearly scored his third goal in as many finals when he fired a shot into an empty net, but Red Star's full-back Lucien Gamblin stopped the ball with both hands, and Dewaquez then missed the subsequent penalty. In the following year, they faced Red Star in the final of the 1922 Ligue de Paris, in which he won a penalty after being violently pushed by Red Star full-back Maurice Meyer, but then failed to convert it in an eventual 3–0 loss. Two years later, the 1922–23 season was summed up as a duel between both clubs, already presented in the press as "eternal rivals", and in the final of the 1923 Coupe de Paris, Darques scored his side's second goal to seal a 2–0 victory over Red Star.

Darques (crouching, first from right) with the Red Star team on 2 March 1930. In 1924, Darques left Olympique to join Red Star, with whom he played for three years, until 1927, when he joined Club Français. He went on to earn a total of nine international caps for France between 1919 and 1923, but he scored only once, in another friendly against Belgium at the Colombes on 15 January 1922, to help his side to a 2–1 win.

Death Darques died in Bobigny on 18 February 1984, at the age of 81.

Honours

Olympique de Pantin Coupe de France: Champions (1): 1917–18 Runner-up (2): 1918–19 and 1920–21

Ligue de Paris Champions (1): 1921 Runner-up (1): 1922

Coupe de Paris Champions (1): 1923