Ergilio Hato

Ergilio Pedro Hato (7 November 1926 – 18 December 2013), also known as 'Pantera Negra' (black panther), was a goalkeeper from Curaçao and the Caribbean football in the former Netherlands Antilles. was well known in the Caribbean its reputation achieved beyond the boundaries of the region, to the point of being able to be one of the best Goalkeepers in the history of world football, he refused to become a professional football player turning down offers to large teams world, including Ajax Amsterdam, Feyenoord Rotterdam and the mighty Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.

History

His mother’s last name was Hatot, but the Civil Registry couldn’t place the name, so they decided to spell Ergilio’s last name “Hato”. Hato was always an avid soccer player. Back in the day, school yards were set up as soccer fields and monks encouraged playing before school, during breaks, and after school. Hato (19 in 1945) would’ve been drafted for military service had the Curaçao Soccer Federation not hosted a large international competition with teams from Colombia, Aruba, Suriname and the Netherlands Feyenoord in 1945. Curaçao’s “Dream Team” delivered a clean sweep. Feyenoord came in second. A huge disappointment for the Dutch, and a *HUGE* testament to Curaçao’s innate talent… despite its small size and limited resources.