Like all great strikers, Stabile was in the right place at the right time. Not even a first choice for Argentina at the start of the 1930 World Cup, Stabile got his chance when captain Manuel Ferreira was injured in his side’s opening game, a 1-0 win over France.
In a 6-3 win over Mexico, Stabile became the first man to score a hat trick at the World Cup -- though that remains the source of some disagreement. It was enough to secure his place in the team, and two more goals followed in a 3-1 win over Chile that sealed Argentina’s place in the semifinals.
Stabile’s greatest asset was his sprinter-like pace, and it brought him two more goals as the United States was brushed aside 6-1 to set up a clash with host and arch-rival Uruguay, which had beaten Argentina in the 1928 Olympic final in Amsterdam.
Stabile raced through to stun Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario by giving Argentina a 2-1 first-half lead, but Uruguay fought back strongly in the second half. Trailing 3-2, Stabile was denied an equalizer when he hit the crossbar, and Uruguay ran out a 4-2 winner.
After the tournament Stabile moved to Italy to play for Genoa before moving on to Parisian team Red Star and ending his international career with a handful of appearances for France.
