Erroll Bennett (7 May 1950 – 2 June 2025) was a Tahitian footballer, who spent his career with A.S. Central Sport and Paris Saint-Germain. He placed fifteenth in a 1999 poll by International Federation of Football History & Statistics to find the Player of the Century for Oceania.
Club career
1963–1983: A.S. Central Sport Joining the youth team in 1963 and playing for the senior team between 1966 and 1983, Bennett spent most of his career with A.S. Central Sport aside from a short stint with Paris Saint-Germain's reserve team.
Over 17 years, he won fourteen Tahiti Ligue 1 titles and eight Tahiti Cups with the club.Michael Otterson. "Erroll Bennett: Tahitian Soccer Star", Ensign, Oct. 1982.
1972: Short stint with Paris Saint-Germain During his time with Paris Saint-Germain, he played for the club during their first season ever in Ligue 1 (1971–72).
He mainly played for the reserve team between January and June 1972, and he planned to stay with the club but financial troubles forced him to leave PSG as the club was relegated to Division 3, although Henri Patrelle (the then president of PSG) failed to convince Bennett to stay at PSG.
After leaving PSG, Bennett was subsequently in contact with AS Saint-Etienne but he instead rejoined A.S. Central Sport in July 1972.
International career Bennett was part of the Tahitian national squad for the 1973 Oceania Cup, the first ever Oceania-wide international soccer tournament. Bennett scored three goals in the tournament, and played in the final, which Tahiti lost 2–0 to New Zealand.
He also won the South Pacific Games tournament three times with Tahiti.
Personal life and death Bennett joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1977 after which he refused to play football on Sundays. Following Bennett's baptism, Napoléon Spitz, the head of Bennett's team, held a meeting in which he said his team would stop Sunday play and all football teams in that division agreed to move games to weeknights.
Bennett was also a police officer in Tahiti. He was the father of Naea Bennett, who also played for the Tahiti national team.Article from Richard Vansam, in France Football, n°1.855, 27 October 1981, page 23.
Bennett died on 2 June 2025, at the age of 75.Football : Errol Bennett nous a quittés, la Polynésie pleure son champion
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsTahiti197353197430197550197830197957198092198193198350Total4615
Tahiti score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bennett goal
+ List of international goals scored by Erroll Bennett No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 17 February 1973 Newmarket Park, Auckland, New Zealand 1–?2–1 1973 Oceania Cup2 18 February 1973 Newmarket Park, Auckland, New Zealand 1–?1–1 1973 Oceania Cup3 21 February 1973 Newmarket Park, Auckland, New Zealand 1–0 1–0 1973 Oceania Cup429 August 1979Buckhurst Park, Suva, Fiji?–08–01979 South Pacific Games567 3 September 1979 Buckhurst Park, Suva, Fiji 1–01–0 1979 South Pacific Games84 September 1979Buckhurst Park, Suva, Fiji?–23–21979 South Pacific Games9107 September 1979Buckhurst Park, Suva, Fiji2–03–01979 South Pacific Games113–012 25 February 1980 Stade Numa-Daly Magenta, Nouméa, New Caledonia 3–13–1 1980 Oceania Cup13 1 March 1980 Stade Numa-Daly Magenta, Nouméa, New Caledonia 2–?2–4 1980 Oceania Cup14 14 July 1981 Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands 1–01–0 1981 South Pacific Mini Games15 15 July 1981 Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands ?–06–0 1981 South Pacific Mini Games
Honours A.S. Central Sport Tahiti Ligue 1 (14): 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 Tahiti Cup (9): 1966, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983
Tahiti Oceania Cup runner-up: 1973, 1980 South Pacific Games: 1975, 1979, 1983
Notes
References
External links Michael Otterson. "Erroll Bennett: Tahitian Soccer Star", Ensign, Oct. 1982. Meridian Magazine article with section on Bennett