Christian Cueva

Christian Alberto Cueva Bravo (born 23 November 1991) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Al-Fateh in the Saudi Professional League and the Peru national team.

For the Chilean footballer, see Cristián Cuevas.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cueva and the second or maternal family name is Bravo.

Christian Cueva
Cueva training with Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Personal information
Full name Christian Alberto Cueva Bravo[1]
Date of birth (1991-11-23) 23 November 1991[1]
Place of birth Trujillo, Peru
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Al-Fateh
Number 10
Youth career
2005–2006 Racing de Huamachuco
2007–2008 Universidad San Martín
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Universidad San Martín 121 (19)
2012 Universidad César Vallejo 5 (0)
2013 Unión Española B 2 (0)
2013–2014 Unión Española 16 (0)
2013–2014 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 1 (0)
2014 → Rayo Vallecano B (loan) 8 (5)
2014–2015 Alianza Lima 19 (3)
2015–2016 Toluca 36 (4)
2016–2018 São Paulo 55 (10)
2018–2020 Krasnodar 15 (0)
2019 → Santos (loan) 5 (0)
2020 Pachuca 2 (0)
2020–2021 Yeni Malatyaspor 8 (0)
2021– Al-Fateh 1 (0)
National team‡
2011 Peru U20 4 (0)
2011– Peru 63 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:20, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2019

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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

Universidad César Vallejo

On 3 August 2012, Cueva moved to fellow first division side César Vallejo.[5] In November, however, his contract was rescinded by the club after a series of indiscipline problems.[6]

Unión Española

On 24 January 2013, after being linked to a move to Ponte Preta,[7] he was announced at Chilean Primera División side Unión Española.[8]

Rayo Vallecano (loan)

On 13 August 2013, Cueva joined La Liga club Rayo Vallecano on a one-year loan deal.[9]

On 1 March 2014, after being rarely used by manager Paco Jémez, Cueva was assigned to the reserves in Tercera División.[10] On his debut for the B-team nine days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 defeat of Internacional de Madrid.[11]

Alianza Lima

On 18 August 2014, free agent Cueva returned to his home country after agreeing to a 18-month contract with Alianza Lima.[12] 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;[13] the sentence was later reduced to three matches.[14]

Toluca

On 18 July 2015, Cueva signed for Mexican club Toluca.[15] 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.[16]

São Paulo

On 2 June 2016, Cueva signed a four-year contract with Brazilian side São Paulo FC.[17]

On 22 February 2017, Cueva extended his contract until 2021.[18] 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.[19]

Krasnodar
Cueva with Krasnodar in 2018

On 19 July 2018, Cueva signed a four-year contract with the Russian Premier League club FC Krasnodar.[20]

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,[21] for an estimated fee of € 6 million.[22]

Dispute and transfer issues

In September 2019, Cueva was caught fighting on a nightclub in Santos, being subsequently dropped from the first team squad.[23] 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.[24]

Despite appearing on time for the 2020 pre-season, Cueva left Santos in late January, being later found in Argentina;[25] in the meantime, Santos tried to negotiate the player San Lorenzo unsuccessfully.[26] Cueva later attempted to rescind his contract with the club through FIFA, after alleging unpaid wages; he also reached an agreement with Pachuca.[27]

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.[28]

Pachuca

On 15 February 2020, after FIFA's clearance, Pachuca announced the signing of Cueva.[29]

Yeni Malatyaspor

In August 2020 he moved to Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor.[30]

Al-Fateh

In January 2021 Cueva moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Fateh.[31] On 4 February 2021, he made his debut for Al-Fateh in a 4–1 away loss against Al-Ittihad.[32]

International career
Cueva at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

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.[33]

Cueva was included in Peru's squad for the 2015 Copa América,[34] and scored the team's opening goal of the tournament in a 2–1 loss to Brazil.[35] 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,[36] and scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–2 draw against Ecuador at University of Phoenix Stadium on 8 June 2016.[37] 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.[38]

Career statistics

Club
As of 27 May 2019[39]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Universidad San Martín 2008[40] Torneo Descentralizado 182———182
2009 163———163
2010 375—3[lower-alpha 1]0—405
2011 264—5[lower-alpha 2]0—314
2012 245—1[lower-alpha 1]0—255
Subtotal 12119—90—13019
Universidad César Vallejo 2012 Torneo Descentralizado 50———50
Unión Española B 2013 Segunda División Profesional 20———20
Unión Española 2013 Primera División 16010——170
Rayo Vallecano 2013–14 La Liga 1010——20
Rayo Vallecano 2013–14[41] Tercera División 85———85
Alianza Lima 2014 Torneo Descentralizado 153———153
2015 401072[lower-alpha 2]0—167
Subtotal 19310720—3110
Toluca 2015–16 Liga MX 364627[lower-alpha 2]0—496
São Paulo 2016 Série A 24720——267
2017 283521[lower-alpha 1]09[lower-alpha 3]54310
2018 30511[lower-alpha 1]09[lower-alpha 3]2183
Subtotal 5510123201878720
Krasnodar 2018–19 Russian Premier League 150216[lower-alpha 4]0—231
Santos (loan) 2019 Série A 4030—8[lower-alpha 3]0150
Total 28241351326026736961
  1. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  2. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  3. Appearance(s) in Campeonato Paulista
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International
As of 5 June 2019[40]
Peru
YearAppsGoals
201120
201240
201300
201400
2015131
2016135
201791
2018111
2019112
Total6310

International goals
As of match played 5 June 2019[39]
Peru score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cueva goal.
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 14 June 2015Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile9 Brazil1–01–22015 Copa América
2 23 May 2016Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru22 Trinidad and Tobago1–04–0Friendly
3 8 June 2016University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States24 Ecuador1–02–2Copa América Centenario
4 6 September 2016Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru281–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 6 October 201629 Argentina2–22–2
6 10 November 2016Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay31 Paraguay3–14–1
7 31 August 2017Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru37 Bolivia2–02–1
8 29 May 2018Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru44 Scotland1–02–0Friendly
9 22 March 2019Red Bull Area, Harrison, United States53 Paraguay1–01–0
10 5 June 2019Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru55 Costa Rica1–01–0

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.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44]

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. "Peru's Cueva keen to keep on learning". FIFA.com. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  3. "Christian Cueva, un crack a bordo del vuelo blanquirrojo a Rusia 2018" [Christian Cueva, a star on board of the red-and-white flight to Russia 2018] (in Spanish). Trompe. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  4. "Club" (in Spanish). Universidad San Martín de Porres. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019. Con Universidad de San Martín disputó 3 encuentros en la Copa Sudamericana 2010, ese mismo año fue elegido como uno de los mejores mediocentros ofensivos del Campeonato junto a su compañero Pablo Vitti. En total ha jugado 121 partidos en la Primera División, anotando 20 goles.
  5. "Christian Cueva firmó por César Vallejo que se refuerza para la liguilla" [Christian Cueva signed for César Vallejo which bolster for the league] (in Spanish). Andina. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  6. "Christian Cueva fue echado de César Vallejo" [Christian Cueva was fired from César Vallejo] (in Spanish). Perú 21. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  7. "Christian Cueva jugará al lado de Ramírez en el Ponte Preta de Brasil" [Christian Cueva will play beside Ramírez in Brazil's Ponte Preta] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  8. "Unión Española oficializó el fichaje de Gustavo Canales y Christian Cueva" [Unión Española turn official the signing of Gustavo Canales and Christian Cueva] (in Spanish). Radio Cooperativa. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  9. "El centrocampista peruano Christian Cueva, nuevo jugador del Rayo" [Peruvian midfielder Christian Cueva, new player of Rayo] (in Spanish). Marca. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  10. "Christian Cueva jugará en el Rayo Vallecano 'B' de la Tercera División" [Christian Cueva will play in Rayo Vallecano 'B' of Tercera División] (in Spanish). Libero. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  11. "El peruano Christian Cueva debuta con el Rayo B marcando tres goles" [Peruvian Christian Cueva debuts at Rayo B scoring three goals] (in Spanish). Marca. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. "Alianza Lima: Christian Cueva entrenó en Matute y firmó contrato" [Alianza Lima: Christian Cueva trained at the Matute and signed a contract] (in Spanish). América Televisión. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  13. "Alianza Lima: las sanciones a los expulsados ante Real Garcilas" [Alianza Lima: the suspensions for the ejected ones against Real Garcilaso] (in Spanish). América Televisión. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  14. "Alianza Lima: se redujo pena a sancionados Cueva, Costa y Miers" [Alianza Lima: reduced sentence for the suspended Cueva, Costa and Miers] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  15. "Christian Cueva fichó por el Toluca de México" [Christian Cueva signed for Mexico's Toluca] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  16. "Christian Cueva debutó en el Toluca con triunfo ante Necaxa" [Christian Cueva debuted at Toluca with a triumph over Necaxa] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  17. "Reforço de Seleção!" [National level addition!] (in Portuguese). São Paulo FC. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  18. "São Paulo prorroga contrato de Cueva até 2021 e dá aumento ao peruano" [São Paulo extend Cueva's contract until 2021 and give a pay rise to the Peruvian] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  19. "Fora de jogo, Cueva acumula atos de descaso no São Paulo: relembre" [Out of the match, Cueva collects acts of negligence at São Paulo: remember] (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  20. КРИСТИАН КУЭВА ОФИЦИАЛЬНО СТАЛ ИГРОКОМ ЧЕРНО-ЗЕЛЕНЫХ [Christian Cueva officially became a green-and-black player] (in Russian). FC Krasnodar. 19 July 2018.
  21. "Santos FC acerta contratação de meia peruano Christian Cueva" [Santos FC sign Peruvian midfielder Christian Cueva] (in Portuguese). Santos FC. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  22. "Santos anuncia contratação de Christian Cueva" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  23. "Santos suspende Cueva após jogador ser flagrado brigando em casa noturna; vídeo" [Santos suspend Cueva after player is caught fighting in nightclub; video] (in Portuguese). A Tribuna. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  24. "Autuori rejeita pedido de Peres e Cueva segue afastado do elenco" [Autuori rejects Peres' request and Cueva remains dropped from the squad] (in Portuguese). Diário do Peixe. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  25. "Cueva some do Santos e amplia histórico de indisciplina no clube" [Cueva disappears from Santos and extends history of indiscipline at the club] (in Portuguese). A Tribuna. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  26. "San Lorenzo rejeita contraproposta do Santos para levar Cueva" [San Lorenzo refuse Santos's counteroffer to bring in Cueva] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  27. "Santos pede bloqueio do registro de Cueva após peruano acionar a Fifa para ir a time mexicano" [Santos ask for block in Cueva's registration after Peruvian notified Fifa to move to Mexican clube] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  28. "Fifa autoriza que Cueva defenda o Pachuca, mas diz que Santos pode cobrar indenização do meia" [FIFA authorizes that Cueva play for Pachuca, but states that Santos can charge for restitution for the midfielder] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  29. "Após permissão da Fifa para registro, Pachuca anuncia Cueva, ex-Santos" [After FIFA's green light for registration, Pachuca announce Cueva, formerly of Santos] (in Portuguese). Esporte Interativo. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  30. BOCÓN, NOTICIAS EL (11 August 2020). "Selección peruana: Christian Cueva les nuevo jugador del Yeni Malatyaspor de Turquía | NOTICIAS EL BOCÓN PERÚ". El Bocón.
  31. "¡Bienvenido, Aladino!". Twitter. 25 January 2021.
  32. "Christian Cueva y su debut oficial con Al Fateh en la Liga Profesional Saudí". depor.com (in Spanish). 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  33. "Peru hold Japan to 0–0 draw in Kirin Cup". Andina. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  34. "2015 Copa America squad lists". ESPN. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  35. "Brazil 2-1 Peru". BBC Sport. 15 June 2015.
  36. "Esta es la convocatoria provisional para la Copa América Centenario USA 2016" [This is the provisional list for the 2016 Copa América Centenario in USA] (in Spanish). Peruvian Football Federation. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  37. "Ecuador y Perú empatan con cuatro golazos en el mejor partido de la Copa América Centenario y Brasil golea 7 a 1 a Haití" [Ecuador and Peru draw with four great goals in the best match of the Copa América Centenario and Brazil thrash Haiti by 7–1] (in Spanish). BBC. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  38. "World Cup 2018: Paolo Guerrero named in Peru squad". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  39. Christian Cueva at Soccerway. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  40. "Christian Cueva". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  41. "Cueva Bravo, Christian Alberto" (in Spanish). Madrid Football Federation. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  42. "Análise técnica de Christian Cueva: como joga o novo reforço peruano do São Paulo? | Blogs". ESPN.
  43. "ESPN - Tudo pelo esporte". ESPN.com.
  44. "Com show de Cueva, São Paulo goleia Corinthians com olé e encerra tabu". www.uol.com.br.
  45. "Copa América 2015 - Team of the tournament". Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  46. "cueva e o unico do sao paulo na selecao do paulistao queriamos o titulo". Globoesporte.com. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
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