At first glance of the Spanish word, its meaning seems unmistakeable. “Negrito.”

The word is discriminatory and racist, a demeaning slur directed to Black people and one that should be wholly condemned and erased from modern vernacular, the Spanish-language translation of the repugnant n-word in English.

But what if it isn’t?

An icon. A hero. The greatest fútbol player of all time.

Growing up in a home where fútbol was a religion, there were always a few household names that were almost institutions. Probably after Maradona, the most respected name in fútbol was Marcelo Bielsa.

When we think of fascism, we think most immediately of Mussolini and Hitler, but the trifecta included Francisco Franco, one of the most brutal fascist dictators in the history of the world.