Christian Cueva


Christian Alberto Cueva Bravo is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for Mexican club C.F. Pachuca and the Peru national football team as an attacking midfielder.
He was a member of the Peru national football team that finished in third place at the 2015 Copa América, also taking part at the Copa América Centenario and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Universidad San Martín

Born in Trujillo, Cueva started his career playing for amateurs Instituto Pedagógico Nacional Monterrico, at the age of 14. In August 2007, he played for a Huamachuco representative side in a friendly against Universidad San Martín, impressing enough to secure a subsequent move to the club's under-20 side.
On 12 April 2008, aged only 16, Cueva made his first team – and Torneo Descentralizado – debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 away loss against Universidad César Vallejo. On 16 July, in only his third senior match, he scored his team's second goal in a 4–0 home routing of the same opponent.
Cueva finished his first senior season with two goals in 18 appearances, as his side was crowned champions. He only became a regular starter for the side from the 2010 season onwards, and finished his spell at the club with 20 goals in 121 league appearances.

Universidad César Vallejo

On 3 August 2012, Cueva moved to fellow first division side César Vallejo. In November, however, his contract was rescinded by the club after a series of indiscipline problems.

Unión Española

On 24 January 2013, after being linked to a move to Ponte Preta, he was announced at Chilean Primera División side Unión Española. He made his debut abroad on 3 February, replacing Matías Abelairas in a 2–1 away loss against Rangers de Talca.

Rayo Vallecano (loan)

On 13 August 2013, Cueva joined La Liga club Rayo Vallecano on a one-year loan deal. He made his debut for the club twelve days later, replacing Alberto Perea in a 5–0 loss at Atlético Madrid.
On 1 March 2014, after being rarely used by manager Paco Jémez, Cueva was assigned to the reserves in Tercera División. On his debut for the B-team nine days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 defeat of Internacional de Madrid.

Alianza Lima

On 18 August 2014, free agent Cueva returned to his home country after agreeing to a 18-month contract with Alianza Lima. A regular starter during the 2014 Clausura Tournament, he was handed a six-match suspension after being sent off in a 1–0 loss to Real Garcilaso for the 2015 Apertura Tournament; the sentence was later reduced to three matches.

Toluca

On 18 July 2015, Cueva signed for Mexican club Toluca. He made his debut for the club on 29 July, replacing Diego Aguilar in a 4–3 home defeat of Necaxa, for the year's Copa Mexico.
Cueva's first goal for the Red Devils came on 20 August 2015, as he scored the opener in a 1–1 draw at Zacatepec, also for the national cup. He was regularly used during the campaign, contributing with four league goals in 36 appearances.

São Paulo

On 2 June 2016, Cueva signed a four-year contract with Brazilian side São Paulo FC. He made his debut for the club late in the month, starting in a 2–1 home win against Fluminense.
Cueva scored his first goal for Tricolor on 17 July 2016, netting the opener in a 1–1 draw at rivals Corinthians through a penalty kick. Fourteen days later, he scored a brace in a 2–2 home draw against Chapecoense, and finished the season with a career-best seven goals in 24 appearances.
On 22 February 2017, Cueva extended his contract until 2021. However, he subsequently had multiple indiscipline problems, being fined twice and having a face off with teammate Rodrigo Caio due to the club's poor results.

Krasnodar

On 19 July 2018, Cueva signed a four-year contract with the Russian Premier League club FC Krasnodar. Mainly used as a substitute, his only goal for the club occurred on 5 December, as he scored his team's second in a 2–2 Russian Cup home draw against FC Rostov.

Santos

On 7 February 2019, Cueva returned to Brazil after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Santos FC, with an obligation to buy on a three-year contract on 31 January 2020, for an estimated fee of € 6 million. He made his debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 home win against Mirassol.

Dispute and transfer issues

In September 2019, Cueva was caught fighting on a nightclub in Santos, being subsequently dropped from the first team squad. Santos president José Carlos Peres later requested the lining up of Cueva in a TV interview, which was later dismissed by the club's director of football Paulo Autuori.
Despite appearing on time for the 2020 pre-season, Cueva left Santos in late January, being later found in Argentina; in the meantime, Santos tried to negotiate the player San Lorenzo unsuccessfully. Cueva later attempted to rescind his contract with the club through FIFA, after alleging unpaid wages; he also reached an agreement with Pachuca.
On 14 February 2020, FIFA authorized Cueva to play for the Mexican club, while also authorizing Santos to charge for an restitution fee for his transfer.

Pachuca

On 15 February 2020, after FIFA's clearance, Pachuca announced the signing of Cueva.

International career

Cueva represented Peru at under-20 level in the 2011 South American Youth Championship. He made his full international debut on 1 June 2011, starting in a 0–0 draw against Japan, for the year's Kirin Cup.
Cueva was included in Peru's squad for the 2015 Copa América, and scored the team's opening goal of the tournament in a 2–1 loss to Brazil. He was an undisputed starter during the tournament, helping his side finish in the third place and being named one of the best midfielders of the competition.
Cueva was also named in Ricardo Gareca's squad for the Copa América Centenario, and scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–2 draw against Ecuador at University of Phoenix Stadium on 8 June 2016. However, in the quarterfinals against Colombia, the match went to a penalty shootout, and Cueva missed his spot kick as his side were eliminated 2–4 as a result of this. He was also a first-choice during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, helping his side qualify to the final stage after a 36-year absence.
On 4 June 2018, Cueva was named in Peru's provisional 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 June 2015Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile91–01–22015 Copa América
223 May 2016Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru221–04–0Friendly
38 June 2016University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States241–02–2Copa América Centenario
46 September 2016Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru281–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
56 October 2016Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru292–22–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
610 November 2016Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay313–14–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
731 August 2017Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru372–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
829 May 2018Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru441–02–0Friendly
922 March 2019Red Bull Area, Harrison, United States531–01–0Friendly
105 June 2019Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru551–01–0Friendly

Style of play

With Peru, Cueva usually plays in an offensive midfield role through the centre of the pitch, for his club sides, such as Toluca, he plays more frequently on the flank, mainly on the left wing. A good dribbler, he is known for his change of pace over short distances and his ability to manage himself well in tight spaces. His playing style has drawn comparisons with that of Brazilian playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso, who plays for Sevilla, as Cueva occupies a similar function for São Paulo, in the way that he tends to move more through the pitch, making attacking runs into the rival area, scoring goals, and occasionally also helping out defensively by marking opponents. In his side's 4–0 victory against rivals Corinthians on 5 November 2016, Cueva demonstrated his great talent by netting a goal and providing three assists for his teammates David Neres, Chávez and Luiz Araújo.

Honours

Individual