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Teofilo CubillasFootball player
Date of Birth: 08.08.1949
Country:  Peru |
Content:
- Biography of Teofilo Cubillas Arisoga
- Full name: Teofilo Cubillas Arisoga
- Club career:
- National team: Peru
- His contribution came in the form of 13 matches and 3 goals.
Biography of Teofilo Cubillas Arisoga
Teofilo Cubillas Arisoga, a Peruvian footballer, has earned a place in history as one of the greatest South American virtuosos of all time. During his career, the Peruvian national team was a regular participant in the World Cup, and Cubillas played a crucial role in their success, leading them to the quarterfinals on two occasions.
Full name: Teofilo Cubillas Arisoga
Country: PeruPosition: Forward
He was born on March 8, 1949, in Puente de Piedra, Lima Province. He stood at a height of 173cm and weighed 71kg.
Club career:
- "Alianza" (Peru) 1964 - 1973, 1977 - 78, 84, 88
- "Basel" (Switzerland) 1973/74
- "Porto" (Portugal) 1974 - 1977
- "Fort Lauderdale Strikers" 1979 - 86
National team: Peru
80 games, 26 goalsFirst match: July 17, 1968
Last match: June 22, 1982
Achievements:
Team:
- Champion of South America: 1975
- Peruvian Champion: 1977, 1978
- Winner of the Portuguese Cup: 1977
- South American Footballer of the Year: 1972
- Top scorer of the Peruvian championship: 1966, 1970
- Ranks 48th among the world's top footballers of the 20th century according to IFFHS
- Ranks 17th among the top South American footballers of the 20th century according to IFFHS
Teofilo Cubillas has earned his place in history as one of the most outstanding South American virtuosos of all time. During his career, the Peruvian national team regularly participated in the World Cup and competed fiercely with the giants of football, reaching the quarterfinals twice. Cubillas, also known as "Nene," scored five goals in each of these World Cups. In 1975, he led the Peruvian team to victory in the Copa America.
When his main club, "Alianza" (Lima), faced a tragic accident, with the entire team on board a plane that crashed and was almost destroyed, the 38-year-old Cubillas could not ignore his duty to help his club in difficult times. He returned to the field for several months. Cubillas' rise to fame was meteoric. At the age of 17, he made his debut for "Alianza" in the first division of the Peruvian championship and immediately became the team's top scorer. At the age of 20, he achieved a super sensation with the Peruvian national team, surpassing Argentina in the qualifying group for the 1970 World Cup and securing a spot that seemed destined for Argentina.
Cubillas played all four qualifying matches but struggled to score, only managing to score one goal at home against Bolivia. However, in the final tournament, he transformed and never left the field without scoring a goal for his team. In the opening match against Bulgaria, his goal secured victory for the Peruvians, overturning a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2. Against Morocco, Cubillas scored two out of the three goals in a 3-0 win and set up his teammate Challe to score the third. Cubillas' goal against West Germany came after Rubinjos had already conceded three. Although it only served as a consolation goal (1-3), Peru advanced from the group stage. However, in the quarterfinals, they faced Brazil, and defeating them proved impossible. Led by the legendary Didi, the Peruvians put up a fight against Pele and company in an entertaining match. Cubillas scored a cannonball shot in the 69th minute to narrow the score to 2-3. However, they couldn't stage a comeback, and Jairzinho secured Brazil's victory. Jairzinho and Gerd Muller were the only players at the 1970 World Cup who scored more goals than Cubillas, but they played more matches.
Cubillas gained recognition in Europe, and in 1973, he was invited to join Swiss club "Basel" for a transfer fee of approximately 150,000 dollars. However, he struggled to adapt to the new environment, comparing himself to a fish stranded on the shore. He felt out of place among the unfamiliar people who seemed indifferent to the problems of others. He also struggled with the cold weather, which affected his desire to play and even smile.
Despite the challenges faced in Switzerland, Cubillas chose to remain in Europe and moved to Portugal, where the environment suited him better. He spent three years with "Porto," primarily playing as a midfielder (although he still managed to score 28 goals in one season).
The Peruvian national team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1974 World Cup after a relentless battle against Chile that required a third play-off match. However, they made up for this disappointment by sensationally winning the 1975 Copa America. Cubillas played a crucial role, especially in the first semifinal match against Brazil, which Peru won 3-1, with Cubillas scoring twice. In preparation for the 1978 World Cup, which Peru successfully qualified for, Cubillas returned to "Alianza" and won the top scorer title for the third time in the national championship. In the group stage of the World Cup, he once again impressed everyone with his goal-scoring prowess, scoring a brace against Scotland and a hat-trick against Iran. Three out of his five goals were scored from set-pieces, with two penalties against Iran and a fantastic free-kick against Scotland.
Cubillas' unique technique of executing free-kicks involved striking the ball with the outside of his foot instead of the inside, which is less commonly seen and less natural. The Scottish goalkeeper, Rafferty, was stunned when the ball flew into the top corner of the net. "As it was flying, I had no doubt that it would go out of bounds," Rafferty said afterwards.
Peru finished first in their group and advanced to the second group stage, which also followed a round-robin format. However, they lacked the strength to compete with Poland, Brazil, and Argentina, losing all three matches with a disappointing total score of 0-10.
In total, Cubillas scored 10 goals in World Cups. When he embarked on his third World Cup in 1982, he was expected to challenge Gerd Muller's record of 14 goals. However, he faced tough opponents in the group stage, Cameroon and Italy, and had no chance to find the back of the net. He had an opportunity against Poland when the score was 0-0, but he missed. Peru suffered a heavy defeat, losing 1-5, and were knocked out of the tournament. Since then, the Peruvian national team has not made another appearance in the World Cup. It is unlikely that another generation of players like Cubillas will emerge in Peruvian football more than once a century.
Like many stars of his time, Cubillas joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1979, playing for the "Fort Lauderdale Strikers" alongside the infamous George Best. He made his debut in the league on March 25, 1979, in a match against the "Washington Diplomats" (1-2). In his first season, he was selected for the second "All-Stars" team. In the following season (1980), he played a decisive role in helping his club win the championship title. On July 11, 1981, Cubillas had his most memorable match in the American period of his career, scoring four goals against the "Los Angeles Aztecs," three of which came within 7 minutes and 14 seconds.
In 1982, he only played in half of the NASL calendar due to his participation in the World Cup in Spain, missing 16 games. In 1983, the "Fort Lauderdale Strikers" went bankrupt and transitioned to an amateur league. Cubillas was offered the opportunity to join Minnesota, where the local club still stood, but he declined, partly due to a back injury that required treatment.
He spent the next two years as a player-coach for the "Fort Lauderdale Strikers" and continued playing in Florida on a regional level in 1986.
In late 1987, a plane crash claimed the lives of 16 players, the coach, doctor, and management staff of "Alianza." The Peruvian championship was suspended for over a month to allow the most successful club in the country (leading the championship at the time of the tragedy) to rebuild a new team. On January 4, 1988, the revitalized "Alianza" took the field for the first time and defeated "Coronel Bolognesi" 2-1. Among those who replaced the deceased players, 42,000 fans saw 38-year-old Teofilo Cubillas. Before the match, he addressed the crowd, saying, "I hope that 'Alianza' will rise from the ashes like the Phoenix. If I can help in any way, I will be immensely happy."
