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| Peru in the 1970's |
South America without Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador
Bolivia, Venezuela
Peru first made their mark on international football at the 1936 Berlin Olympics with their first Golden Generation. They eliminated Austria's Wunderteam in the quarterfinal, but the organizer forced a rematch in which Peru forfeited the game. They won the 1939 South American Championship.
Forty years later, the second Golden Genertion arrived. Héctor Chumpitaz, Teofilo Cubillas, Cesar Cueto and Hugo Sotil formed the backbone of the team that charmed the world with dynamic performances at the 1970 and 1978 World Cup Finals. They also won the Copa America in 1975.
The team is well known for its white shirts adorned with a diagonal red stripe, which combine Peru's national colours. This basic design has been used continuously since 1936, and gives rise to the team's common Spanish nickname, la Blanquirroja ("the white-and-red")
If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be 23 players I would bring to the tournament.
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| Peru qualified for Russia 2018 |
Team
GK : Juan Valdivieso
GK : Juan Valdivieso
Juan Valdivieso was considered as Peru's greatest goalkeeper. He was known for being a great penalty-stopper and also played successfully as a forward. He played at the 1936 Olympics. In the quarterfinal against Austria, Peru was leading 4-2 at 119th minute when a pitch invasion forced a replay. Peru did not play and Austria advanced to the next round and would win the silver medal. His only club team was for Alianza Lima where he played between 1930 and 1938.
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| Juan Valdivieso |
GK: Ramón Quiroga
Born in Argentina, Ramón Quiroga went to the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982, playing for Peru. He is remembered for conceding 6 goals against his birth country Argentina, and Argentina advanced to the World Cup Final due to better goal difference over Brazil. He began his career playing for the Argentine club Rosario Central before moving to Peru in 1974. He played for Sporting Cristal between 1976 and 1983 during his prime.
RB: Jaime Duarte
At a club level, Jamie Duarte played his football for Alianza Lima in Peru where he was a member of the team that won two consecutive Peruvian league titles in 1977 and 1978. He also played for Sport Boys, San Agustín in Peru and Deportivo Italia in Venezuela. He had 54 caps between 1975 and 1985. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982, and Copa America in 1979 and 1983.
RB/RM: Noberto Solano
Noberto Solano was a part of Sporting Cristal that finished second at the 1997 Copa Libertadaores. In 1998, he became the first Peruvian to play in the English Premier League when he joined Newcastle United from Boca Juniors. He played 15 seasons in England. In England, he also played for Aston Villa, West Ham and Leicester City. At home, he is associated with Sporting Cristal. At the international level, he earned 95 caps for Peru. He made his debut as a 18 years old in 1994.
CB: Julio Meléndez
Julio Meléndez was born in 1942. He was nicknamed "Black Diamond". He was one of the best South American defenders of his generation. He played for Boca Juniors between 1968 and 1972. He was considered one of Boca Juniors greatest players, and voted into their team of Century. He was capped 35 times for Peru between 1965 and 1977 during Peru's Golden Generation. He won the Copa America in 1975 with the national team.
CB: Guillermo Delgado
Guillermo Delgado is also considered to be one of Peru's greatest defenders. He was the hero of Peru's first ever victory over Brazil in 1953. He played in Peru, Colombia and Spain for Centro Iqueño, Huracán, Alianza Lima, Deportivo Cali, Real Zaragoza and Cádiz. finished his career in the Spanish First Division playing for Real Zaragoza and Cádiz between 1961 and 1965. He was one of the first Peruvians to play in Europe.
CB: Hector Chumpitaz
Hector Chumpitaz was Peru's captain during their Golden Generation in the 1970's. Peru with him as the captain won the Copa America 1975 and qualified for the 1970 and 1978 World Cups, He was considered one of the best defenders in South America's history. In 1966, Chumpitaz began playing for Universitario de Deportes, where he was a part of the team that won 5 Peruvian league championship and a runner up in the Copa Libertadores 1972. He also played with Sporting Cristal.
Noberto Solano was a part of Sporting Cristal that finished second at the 1997 Copa Libertadaores. In 1998, he became the first Peruvian to play in the English Premier League when he joined Newcastle United from Boca Juniors. He played 15 seasons in England. In England, he also played for Aston Villa, West Ham and Leicester City. At home, he is associated with Sporting Cristal. At the international level, he earned 95 caps for Peru. He made his debut as a 18 years old in 1994.
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| Noberto Solano |
Julio Meléndez was born in 1942. He was nicknamed "Black Diamond". He was one of the best South American defenders of his generation. He played for Boca Juniors between 1968 and 1972. He was considered one of Boca Juniors greatest players, and voted into their team of Century. He was capped 35 times for Peru between 1965 and 1977 during Peru's Golden Generation. He won the Copa America in 1975 with the national team.
Guillermo Delgado is also considered to be one of Peru's greatest defenders. He was the hero of Peru's first ever victory over Brazil in 1953. He played in Peru, Colombia and Spain for Centro Iqueño, Huracán, Alianza Lima, Deportivo Cali, Real Zaragoza and Cádiz. finished his career in the Spanish First Division playing for Real Zaragoza and Cádiz between 1961 and 1965. He was one of the first Peruvians to play in Europe.
CB: Hector Chumpitaz
Hector Chumpitaz was Peru's captain during their Golden Generation in the 1970's. Peru with him as the captain won the Copa America 1975 and qualified for the 1970 and 1978 World Cups, He was considered one of the best defenders in South America's history. In 1966, Chumpitaz began playing for Universitario de Deportes, where he was a part of the team that won 5 Peruvian league championship and a runner up in the Copa Libertadores 1972. He also played with Sporting Cristal.
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| Hector Chumpitaz |
Victor Benitez only played 11 games for Peru between 1957 and 1959. He was a part of the team that beat England in 1959. He was largely known for his career playing club football in Italy. He started with Alianza Lima. He then played for Boca Juniors between 1960 and 192 before heading to play in Europe. In Europe, he played for A.C. Milan, Messina, Roma, Venezia, and Inter Milan. In 1963, he won the European Cup with AC Milan.
LB: Nicolas Fuentes
Despite only played 17 times for Peru between 1965 and 1970, Nicolas Fuentes was considered one of Peru's greatest defender. He was a member of Peru's Golden Generation in the 1970's, but he was not on the 1975 Copa America winning team. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1970. He played mainly with Club Universitario de Deportes between 1964 and 1970. He won four league titles. He also played for Defensor Lima and Sporting Cristal.
DM: Jose Velazquez
Jose Velazquez was not a member of Peru's 1970 World Cup team, but he won the Copa America in 1975. He participated at the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982. Between 1972 and 1985, he played 82 times for Peru. He is considered one of the greatest defensive midfieders in South America. At club level he played for Alianza Lima in Peru, where he was part of three league championship winning campaigns (1975, 1977 & 1978). He also played for Independiente Medellín of Colombia, Hércules CF of Spain and Deportes Iquique of Chile.
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| Jose Velazquez |
Together with Teófilo Cubillas and Héctor Chumpitaz, he was one of Peru's most recognized football players of the 1970s. He also was a popular player in Peru, and a biopic on his life was released in that decade. He was a key member of Peru's Golden Generation in the 1970's. He played with Johan Cruyff at Barcelona where he was a fan favorite. He played there between 1973 and 1977. He also spent time in Colombia.
RW: Jefferson Farfan
At the club level, Jefferson Farfan began his professional career with Alianza Lima in 2001. Later, he moved to play in Europe first with PSV Eindhoven and then, Schalke 04. He was well-known over there. He also played for Al Jazira in UAE and Locomotiv Moscow. Farfan had over 100 caps scoring 27 goals between 2003 and 2021. He was a senior member of the squad that helped Peru to qualify for Russia 2018 and played in the World Cup Finals. It was Peru's first World Cup Finals since 1982.
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| Jefferson Farfan |
Juan Seminario had a great career in Europe during the 1960's. He played with Sporting CP, Real Zaragoza, FC Barcelona and Fiorentina. He became the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals for the 1961–62 season while playing for Real Zaragoza. For Peru, he had 19 caps between 1956 and 1959. He scored a hat-trick against England in 1959, which was a famous victory for Peru. His nickname was "Expresso de Lima".
LW: Juan Joya
Juan Joya was one of the best left wing in South American history. At the club level, he was an all-time great with Penarol. He won 11 titles with Penarol between 1961 and 1969, including two Copa Libertadores and a two Copa Intercontinental. He also played for Alianza Lima and River Plate(Argentina). At the international level, he played 9 times for Peru between 1956 and 1959 and once for Uruguay in 1965 while he was playing for Penarol. He played in two Copa Americas for Peru.
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| Juan Joya |
Cesar Cueto was nicknamed "El Poeta de la zurda" (the Left-footed Poet). He was a key player in Peru's Golden Generation of the 1970's. He earned 51 caps between 1972 and 1985. He played in 2 World Cup Finals: 1978 and 1982. He was a part of the team that won the 1975 Copa America. He played club football in Colombia and Peru. He started with Alianza Lima in 1968. He went to play in Colombia in 1979. He is also considered Atlético Nacional's most renowned player.
AM/SS: Julio Cesar Uribe
Julio Cesar Uribe started his career with Sporting Cristal in 1975 before joining Italy's Cagliari in 1982, where he played three seasons. He also played in Colombia and Mexico. During his playing days, from 1979 to 1989, he earned 39 caps and scored 9 goals for the Peruvian national team. He went to play at the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain. He was chosen 4th at the 1981 South American Player of the Year behind Zico, Diego Maradona and Junior.
AM: Teofilo Cubillas
Teofilo Cubillas is Peru's greatest ever player. He was a part of three World Cup teams: 1970, 1978 and 1982. Nicknamed El Nene (The Kid), he was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América. He is one of only three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cup Finals. He finished Number 17 at the South American Player of the Century award in 2006. He is associated with Alianza Lima, but also played in Portugal, Switzerland and the United States.
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| Teofilo Cubillas |
Alberto Terry played mainly for Universitario de Deportes between 1947 and 1959, but a single season for Sporting Cristal. He is one of Universitario de Deportes' greatest players. Terry was part of two Peruvian league championship teams, in 1949 with Universitario and in 1961 with Sporting Cristal. He was capped 25 times between 1953 and 1959. He was voted as the best player in his position the 1957 South American Championship ahead of Omar Sivori.
'ST Alejandro Villanueva
Known for his bicycle kicks, Alejandro Villanueva was noted to have an extraordinary handling the football, and his many outrageous moves won him the nickname "Manguera." He played his entire career with Alianza Lima, where he was considered an All-time great. He participated at the 1927 and 1937 Copa America, 1930 World Cup and at 1936 Summer Olympics.
Known for his bicycle kicks, Alejandro Villanueva was noted to have an extraordinary handling the football, and his many outrageous moves won him the nickname "Manguera." He played his entire career with Alianza Lima, where he was considered an All-time great. He participated at the 1927 and 1937 Copa America, 1930 World Cup and at 1936 Summer Olympics.
ST: Paolo Guerrero
Guerrero started at giants Bayern Munich, before making his name at Hamburger SV, scoring 47 goals across eight Bundesliga seasons. He later played in Brazil. He is also the All-Time leading scorer for Peru. With 38 goals in 109 matches for Peru, he holds the honour of being the highest goalscorer for his national team. He has represented them at five Copas América and one World Cup. He was Copa America top scorer in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
ST: Teodoro Fernández
Teodoro Fernández was part of the Peruvian squad that reached quarter-finals in the 1936 Olympic Games. He was Peru;'s first ever star player. He won the 1939 Copa America, a tournament in which he emerged as the top scorer and best players. He is the second top scorer in the history for his country. Fernández played his entire career with Universitario de Deportes, winning six times the Peruvian league. He was a super idol over there.
Squad Explantion
-- The squad is dominated by the great team of the 1970's. Ten players came from the generation between the World Cup Finals of 1970 and 1982. They are Teofilo Cubillas, Julio Cesar Uribe, Cesar Cueto, Hugo Sotil, Jose Velazquez, Nicolas Fuentes, Julio Meléndez, Hector Chumpitaz, Jaime Duarte and Ramón Quiroga. Peru's 1978 World Cup team was unfortunately and unfairly remembered for the 5-0 destruction by Argentina that prevented Brazil from going to the World Cup Final. Ramón Quiroga was a good keeper whose reputation was unfairly tarnished by that game. The team, however, charmed the world in the first round stage with free-flowing football. I actually compared that team to "Danish Dynamite" of Mexico 1986.
-- The 1970's generation also filled with midfielders. They kept Roberto Palacios out of the squad. Roberto Challe who was from the 1970's suffered because they were too many midfielders from his generation. I tended to spread my all-time team across generations.
-- Claudio Pizarro is the all-time leading foreign scorer in the Bundesliga history. He was the first Peruvian to win the Champions' League. No Peruvian ever has a better career in Europe.
Guerrero started at giants Bayern Munich, before making his name at Hamburger SV, scoring 47 goals across eight Bundesliga seasons. He later played in Brazil. He is also the All-Time leading scorer for Peru. With 38 goals in 109 matches for Peru, he holds the honour of being the highest goalscorer for his national team. He has represented them at five Copas América and one World Cup. He was Copa America top scorer in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
Teodoro Fernández was part of the Peruvian squad that reached quarter-finals in the 1936 Olympic Games. He was Peru;'s first ever star player. He won the 1939 Copa America, a tournament in which he emerged as the top scorer and best players. He is the second top scorer in the history for his country. Fernández played his entire career with Universitario de Deportes, winning six times the Peruvian league. He was a super idol over there.
ST: Claudio Pizarro
At the time of writing, Claudio Pizarro is the all-time leading foreign scorer in the Bundesliga history. His career in Germany was sandwiched between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen. He also played for Chelsea in England. For the national team, he only scored 20 times for 85 matches at the time of writing between 1999 and 2016. He played in the 2018 World Cup Final, Peru's first World Cup Finals since 1982. He scored a single goal in the Finals.
At the time of writing, Claudio Pizarro is the all-time leading foreign scorer in the Bundesliga history. His career in Germany was sandwiched between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen. He also played for Chelsea in England. For the national team, he only scored 20 times for 85 matches at the time of writing between 1999 and 2016. He played in the 2018 World Cup Final, Peru's first World Cup Finals since 1982. He scored a single goal in the Finals.
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| Claudio Pizarro |
Honorable Mention
Pedro Gallese, Jorge Pardón, José Soriano, Juan Honores, Ottorino Sartor, Julius Caesar Balerio, Oscar Ibanez, Andres Bedoya, Luis Advincula, Leo Rojas, Jorge Ramírez, Jorge Soto, Ruben Toribio Diaz,Yoshimar Yotún, Miguel Trauco, Juan Manuel Vargas, Christian Ramos, Carlos Zambrano, Orlando De la Torre, Jose Fernandez, Gerónimo Barbadillo, Juan José Muñante, Segundo Castillo Varela, José del Solar. Roberto Challe, Pedro Pablo León, Juan Jose Munante, Félix Castillo, Óscar Gómez Sánchez, Gerardo Arce, Ruben Diaz, Andrés Bedoya, Ramón Mifflin, Alberto Gallardo, Juan Carlos Oblitas, Jorge Alcalde, Roberto Palacios, Juan Jayao, Valeriano López.
Pedro Gallese, Jorge Pardón, José Soriano, Juan Honores, Ottorino Sartor, Julius Caesar Balerio, Oscar Ibanez, Andres Bedoya, Luis Advincula, Leo Rojas, Jorge Ramírez, Jorge Soto, Ruben Toribio Diaz,Yoshimar Yotún, Miguel Trauco, Juan Manuel Vargas, Christian Ramos, Carlos Zambrano, Orlando De la Torre, Jose Fernandez, Gerónimo Barbadillo, Juan José Muñante, Segundo Castillo Varela, José del Solar. Roberto Challe, Pedro Pablo León, Juan Jose Munante, Félix Castillo, Óscar Gómez Sánchez, Gerardo Arce, Ruben Diaz, Andrés Bedoya, Ramón Mifflin, Alberto Gallardo, Juan Carlos Oblitas, Jorge Alcalde, Roberto Palacios, Juan Jayao, Valeriano López.
Squad Explantion
-- The original team was created in January, 2015. I redid this team in October, 2023.
-- Teofilo Cubillas, Hugo Sotil, Julio Meléndez, Hector Chumpitaz and Teodoro Fernández are Peru's greatest player. They are my automatic selections.-- Teodoro Fernández was Peru's first ever star player who was known for his performance at the 1936 Olympics. However, the Austrian team that played against Peru at the 1938 Olympics was not the real Wunderteam. It was a team consisted of secondary players. Nevertheless, it is considered an important milestone for Peru. Alejandro Villanueva and Juan Valdivieso were also on this team. Alejandro Villanueva was known for his bicycle kicks.
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| Olympics 1936 |
-- In 1959, Peru beat England 4-1 at home. Juan Seminario scored a hat trick and Juan Joya scored another goal. England featured Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and Johnny Haynes. It was a famous victory for Peru. Juan Seminario also won the Pichichi Trophy as La Liga's top scorer in 1963. Juan Joya was considered one of the greatest South American left winger ever player the game.
-- In 2018, Peru went to their first World Cup Finals in nearly 40 years. The 2018 World Cup Finals in 2018 was underrepresented. Jefferson Farfan was the only player selected on the 2015 original team. Paolo Guerrero was added in 2023 to this team. I took Jefferson Farfan because his club career in Europe.
-- In 2018, Peru went to their first World Cup Finals in nearly 40 years. The 2018 World Cup Finals in 2018 was underrepresented. Jefferson Farfan was the only player selected on the 2015 original team. Paolo Guerrero was added in 2023 to this team. I took Jefferson Farfan because his club career in Europe.
-- For a more respectful All-Time team, please visit this blog created by the person known as Glavisted, He created this All-Time team for Peru. He himself came from Peru. I knew him online, and respected his opinion, especially his expertise on Peru. I actually avoided studying his blog for my Peru All-Time team. Knowing that his team would define my opinion, I did not want copy his entire team out of respect. I wanted to conduct my own research.
-- The IFFHS created the Peru's All-Time best XI. They were Juan Valdivies, Jaime Duarte, Héctor Chumpitaz, Julio Meléndez, Rubén Toribio Díaz, Víctor Benítez, César Cueto, Teófilo Cubillas, Hugo Sotil, Teodoro "Lolo" Fernández and Juan Seminario.
-- ESPN/South American came up Peru's Best XI at the World Cup Finals: They were: Ramón Quiroga, Jaime Duarte, Héctor Chumpitaz, Orlando La Torre, Nicolas Fuentes, José Velásquez, César Cueto, Teófilo Cubillas, Julio César Uribe, André Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero.
-- El Economista also complied an All-Time Best XI for Peru in 2013. They were Ramón Quiroga, Nolberto Solano, Héctor Chumpitaz, Julio Meléndez, Guillermo Delgado, Yoshimar Yotún, José Velásquez, Jefferson Fafan, Teófilo Cubillas, Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero.
Goalkeepers
-- Peru went through three decades of outstanding goalkeepers that started with Jorge Pardon's impressive performance at the 1930 World Cup Finals and lasted until Rafael Asca in the early 1960's. Between them, there were Juan Valdivieso, José Soriano and Juan Honores. Peru earned the title: "Perú, tierra de arqueros (Peru the land of goalkeepers)". With the exception of Juan Valdivieso, I did not know how to rank the other goalkeepers in relation with the younger goalkeepers.
-- Juan Valdivieso only played only 10 times for Peru, but he won two championships: the Bolivarian Games in 1938 and the Copa América 1939. He was a legend of Alianza Lima and an absolute idol in his position. He was not just Peru's greatest goalkeeper. He was also one of Peru's greatest footballers.
-- The narrative about Ramon Quiroga had always been him being the Argentine-born goalkeeper who gave up 5 goals against Argentina that sent them to the Final of the 1978 World Cup Finals, and he was unfairly being portrayed as such. In actually, he was one of the best Peruvian goalkeepers of all-time. I would continue to follow this narrative and selected him as one of my three goalkeepers. And let's not look at the conspiracy behind the game in 1978.
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| Ramón Quiroga |
-- The third goalkeeper (but not necessary the third choice) was the most difficult to choose. In 2015, I selected Jose Soriano, but during my 2023 review, I realized that some sources completely ignored him. Two Latin American journalists listed Dimas Zegarra as number 2 and 3 respectively as Peru's All-Time goalkeepers, but his name was seldom mentioned in some of the more respectful discussions I found online. Pedro Gallese solidified his credentials since 2015. His name mentioned in many discussion groups. Being one of the most capped Peruvian players, he deserved a serious look. Ottorino Sartor was the starting goalkeeper before Ramon Quiroga. He went to the 1978 World Cup as a backup. Julius Caesar Balerio was frequently mentioned. And there was also Oscar Ibanez. In the end, I stayed with Jose Soriano.
Defenders
-- Héctor Chumpitaz was included on the list of 100 best footballers in the history of World Cup by FIFA in 2018. He is also a member of the Historic Ideal Team of Copa América by CONMEBOL. Julio Meléndez was one of Boca Juniors greatest ever players. The third central defender should be Guillermo Delgado who became one of the first Peruvian players to play aboard. They were the three obviouis choices for the centreback position.
-- Christian Ramos scored one of the two goals that beat New Zealand and helped Peru to qualify for the 2018 World Cup Finals. He also played over 90 times for Peru. Carlos Zambrano did not play in the domestic league of Peru until late in his career. He spent most of his career in Europe, but he would follow Julio Meléndez's footstep and played for Boca Juniors.
-- Orlando De la Torre who was Chumpitaz's regular partner in the 1970 World Cup Finals had a quarrel with Gerson of Brazil after a match between their countries right before the 1970 World Cup Finals. When Peru met Brazil again in the 1970 World Cup Finals, Peru's Brazilian manager Didi controversially left De La Torre off the game. Many people believed that Peru might have won the game if he played. This incident created many gossips and conspiracy theories in Peru. Jose Fernandez who started the game in his place was actually ranked higher by many people. He probably would be a better candidate for the third central defender.
-- But if I took a 4th centreback, I must drop either Alberto Terry or Julio Cesar Uribe. Both were more important players than any other centrebacks available. In the end, I decided to take Víctor Benítez who had played as a central defender as my emergency centreback.
-- Jaime Duarte was the overwhelming choice on the right. Some sources suggested Eleazar Soria whom Duarte replaced as the starting rightback in the 1978 World Cup Finals. Soria's last cap was in April, 1978. Andres Bedoya starred during the "El Dorado" period in Colombia. Luis Advincula made a name for himself with Peru and Boca Juniors in recent years. They were all good candidates for the second rightback position alongside Leo Rojas, Jorge Ramírez and Jorge Soto. Instead, I took Nolberto Solano. He actually played as a rightback before he was converted into a midfielder in Europe, but he later played as a rightback during his second stint in Newcastle United. He might not be the second greatest rightback in Peru's history, but because of his career in England, he was one of most famous Peruvian players playing in Europe. I just could not leave him off the team. Besides, El Economista also selected him there.
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| Jamie Duarte |
-- Ruben Toribio Diaz was IFFHS's selection for the leftback position, but Nicolas Fuentes was probably the best Peruvian leftback in history. Yoshimar Yotún is the second most capped player for Peru. I also looked into Miguel Trauco and Juan Manuel Vargas. But I did not have enough spcae. So I only took one leftback.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- José Velasquez defined the defensive midfield position in Peru. He did not play in the 1970 World Cup, but had a starring role in the 1975 Copa America. Then, I selected Víctor Benítez who played for clubs such as Boca Juniors, Roma and AC Milan in the 1950's and 1960's. He won the 1962 European Cup with AC Milan, where he started the midfield alongside Giovanni Trapattoni. For Peru, he played in the famous victory over England in 1959.
-- Segundo Castillo Varela was two-way midfielder, but I could not find a spot for him. Even, I had to settle with one less central defender to accommodate Víctor Benítez. I also had no space for Juan Jayo and José del Solar.
-- Teofilo Cubillas was one of the best ever players ever from South America. Pele once considered him to be his heir apparent. He was voted as the best young player at the 1970 World Cup after obtaining the Bronze Boot. In 1978, he was elected into the All-Star team of the tournament and won the Silver Boot.
-- Roberto Palacios is Peru's most capped players, but I took Noberto Solano. Solano received more exposure by playing in the English league. I also selected him as a rightback (see above).
--It was hard not to take Robert Palacios. I could not ignore the fact that he is the most capped Peruvian player of all-time. He might even be ahead of Cesar Cueto, but Cueto carried the World Cup performances with his name while Palacios played in an era when Peru's international record was not as strong. Cuerto also labelled as having the "greatest left foot" in Peru's history. Julio César Uribe was ahead of Palacios in terms of reputation among Pervan fans. He was chosen 4th at the 1981 South American Player of the Year behind Zico, Diego Maradona and Junior. Alberto Terry was also considered to be one of South America's best midfielders at his time. He was voted as the best midfielder at the 1957 South American Championship ahead of Didi and Omar Sivori. On the other hand, Palacios could not really make such a claim.
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| Alberto Terry |
-- Hugo Sotil was not a right wing, but he could be used as right wing forward. His career in Barcelona made him an undisputed selection for this team. Jefferson Farfan had a wonderful career in Germany and the Netherlands. Gerónimo Barbadillo and Juan José Muñante were largely forgotten outside South America. Both played club football in Mexico. I also had Noberto Solano who operated on the right side of the midfield.
-- In Peñarol, Juan Joya established himself as one of the greatest left wingers from South America. Over there, he formed a legendary partnership with Ecuadorian Alberto Spencer. While playing in Spain, Juan Seminario won the 1962 Pichichi Trophy. He also scored a hattrick against England in as a famous upset win in 1959.
Forwards
-- Teodoro Fernández put Peru's football on the map. Besides Peru's achievements at the 1936 Olympics, he played well in the 1939 South American Championship. He is considered Universitario's greatest ever player has ever had. Until the year 2000, the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernández was the home stadium of Club Universitario de Deportes. I also took his strike partner Alejandro Villanueva from the Olympics. The home stadium of Alianza Lima was named the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium.
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| Teodoro Fernández |
-- I already selected Hugo Sotil. He played with Johan Cruyff in Barcelona. He is considered one of Peru's greatest ever players.
-- Paolo Guerrero deserved a spot, but he had Alejandro Villanueva, Claudio Pizarro and Teodoro Fernández ahead of him. In 2023, I started to look into Valeriano Lopez's spot.
-- Valeriano López's career statistics in domestic football was too good to be ignored. He scored more than a goal per game. He also scored 11 goals in 12 matches for Peru. I did not doubt the importance of those statistics. However, Paolo Guerrero is Peru's All-Time leading scorer. He was the top scorer at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Copa America. I think those records are more important because they were international games. Moreover, he went to the 2018 World Cup Finals as Peru's best player. Peru had not qualified for a single World Cup Finals in nearly 40 years so the World Cup Finals was an important part of Peru's history. As I mentioned, I also like to spread the team across different generations. The 2018 World Cup team was underrepresented. Lopez helped Peru to win the Bolivarian Games, but the victory was probably not as important as the 2018 World Cup Finals. Guerrero also had the Copa America performance to his credit. So, during the 2023 review, I decided to drop Valeriano López for Paolo Guerrero.
-- Valeriano López was a prolific goal scorer in the 1940's and 1950's. His game-to goal ratio was more than a goal per game. He scored 207 goals in 109 league games. He spent most of his career in Peru but had two stints with Deportivo Cali in Colombia. He also set a record by scoring in 12 consecutive Colombian League games. He also played in Argentina for Club Atlético Huracán in 1953. For the national team, he had 12 caps, scoring 11 goals between 1947 and 1955.
-- Jorge Alcalde scored 14 goals in 16 games for Peru, but he was not as highly rated as the others. He played with Teodoro Fernández and Alejandro Villanueva in the 1938 Olympics. I put him on honorable mentions.
Starting lineup
Formation: 4-3-3
The code of the team is based on the Golden Generation of the 1970's. I am using 4-3-3 used in Copa America 1975 and the WC Finals 1978. I started Jose Velazquez over Victor Benitez, and Julio Meléndez over Guillermo Delgado.
Formation: 4-3-3
The code of the team is based on the Golden Generation of the 1970's. I am using 4-3-3 used in Copa America 1975 and the WC Finals 1978. I started Jose Velazquez over Victor Benitez, and Julio Meléndez over Guillermo Delgado.
