Henri Vascout (né Benoni Waskou; 17 February 1886 â 6 May 1936) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for CA Vitry and the French national team in the 1910s.
Benoni Waskou was born in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on 17 February 1886, to an unknown father and Marie-Marguerite Waskou (1856âÂÂ?), a seamstress who was a descendant of a family originally from Poland, specifically Lwow (currently known as Lviv). His mother had four children, all out of wedlock, with Benoni being the youngest, while his mother's older sister, Marie-Louise Vaskou, had no children, despite being married. It was perhaps because of this that in 1907, Benoni was adopted by his aunt, with the surname "Vaskou" being later Frenchitized as Vascout.
Vascout was born into a very Catholic family, and likewise, all of his family members have Christian first names, including his half brothers and sisters; Benoni, however, is Jewish, which implies that his unknown father was Jewish as well. Bothered by his first name, he decided to change it to Henri, which was a personal choice from either his adoptive mother or him.
Vascout began his career at CA Vitry, which was affiliated with the FCAF. Together with Simon Sollier and ÃÂtienne Jourde, he was a member of the CA Vitry team that won back-to-back FCAF Championships in 1910 and 1911, which qualified the club to compete in the Trophée de France, reaching the 1910 final, which they lost 0âÂÂ2 to Patronage Olier. Throughout his career, the local press often wrongly misspelled his surname as Vaskou or even Waskou.
Vascout stayed at CA Vitry for three years, from 1909 until 1912, when he moved to Red Star, with whom he played for one season. In 1913, he returned to Vitry, where he quickly became the team's captain. Despite being only 1.64 meters, he was a very combative and aggressive player, who was capable of passing accurately; for instance, he once scored from 25 meters. During the First World War, he was stationed in Brittany, where he played with Stade Rennais for four years, from 1915 until 1919. During this period, he was described by the press as "marvelous", "phenomenal", and even "the best was still and always Vascout".
Together with Lucien Leclercq, Charles Robert Ruesch, and George Scoones, he was a member of the Stade Rennais team that won the Coupe des Alliés in 1915âÂÂ16, a knockout competition contested during World War I, starting in both the semifinals, a 3âÂÂ0 victory over Le Havre, and in the final, helping his side to a 7âÂÂ1 trashing of CS Terreaux. Two years later, he helped Stade Rennais reach the semifinals of the 1918âÂÂ19 Coupe de France, which ended in a 4âÂÂ3 loss to CASG Paris; the local press highlighted him as one of the team's best players.
In 1919, Vascout returned to CA Vitry, with whom he played for a further three years, until 1922, when he retired, aged 36.
On 16 April 1910, the 24-year-old Vascout made his international debut for France in a friendly match against England amateurs in Brighton, which ended in a 10âÂÂ1 loss. The following month, on 15 May, he made his second appearance in a friendly against Italy in Milan, which ended in another heavy loss (6âÂÂ2). In 1911, Vascout earned a further five caps for a total of seven, helping his side to only one victory, against Luxembourg on 29 October 1911.
In December 1912, Vascout was selected to play for a Paris selection (LFA) in a friendly against a London XI, which ended in a 0âÂÂ2 loss. On 1 November 1913, he played for Paris in a friendly against a London League XI, scoring an own goal in a 0âÂÂ5 loss. A few weeks later, on 28 November, he was suspended "for life" after "shoving" a referee, whose mother hit him with an umbrella. Despite the life ban, he was retained, and a few years later, in 1917, he was selected to play a friendly against Switzerland in Geneva on 27 November, but the Swiss backed out at the last minute.
Vascout died in the 14th arrondissement of Paris on 6 May 1936, at the age of 50. In his obituary, he was described as "belonging to that generation of robust, hard-working footballers, with unfailing stamina, and who were never found wanting".