Christian Cueva facts for kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Cueva and the second or maternal family name is Bravo.

Quick facts for kids
Christian Cueva
Personal information
Cueva training with Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Full name	Christian Alberto Cueva Bravo
Date of birth	(1991-11-23) 23 November 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth	Trujillo, Peru
Height	1.69 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Cienciano
Youth career
2005–2006	Racing de Huamachuco
2007–2008	Universidad de San Martín
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2008–2012	Universidad de San Martín	121	(19)
2012	UCV	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	Malatyaspor	8	(0)
2021–2023	Al-Fateh	48	(16)
2023	→ Alianza Lima (loan)	22	(0)
2024–	Cienciano	0	(0)
National team^‡
2011	Peru U20	4	(0)
2011–	Peru	100	(16)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:05, 28 March 2024 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:48, 29 June 2024 (UTC)

Christian Alberto Cueva Bravo (born 23 November 1991) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Cienciano and the Peru national team.

Cueva was a member of the Peru national team that finished in third place at the 2015 Copa América and runners-up at the 2019 Copa América, also taking part at the Copa América Centenario, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2021 Copa América and the 2024 Copa América.

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.

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 won the Chilean First Division in 2013 with Unión Española.

Rayo Vallecano (loan)

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

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 an 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.

São Paulo

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

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

Cueva with Krasnodar in 2018

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

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.

Cienciano

In September 2024 he signed for Cienciano.

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 a restitution fee for his transfer.

Pachuca

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

Yeni Malatyaspor

In August 2020, Cueva moved to Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor.

Al-Fateh

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

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.

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 quarter-finals against Colombia, the match went to a penalty shoot-out, and Cueva missed his spot kick as his side were eliminated 4–2 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.

On 30 May 2019, he was selected in the Peruvian squad for the 2019 Copa América. He featured in the tournament's final which resulted in a 3–1 defeat against the host nation Brazil. On 10 June 2021, he was called up for the 2021 Copa América, where his country managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

On 15 June 2024, he was included in the 26-man squad for the 2024 Copa América. On 29 June, he earned his 100th international cap in a 2–0 defeat against Argentina in the last group stage match of the tournament.

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.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Universidad San Martín	2008	Torneo Descentralizado	18	2	—		—		—		18	2
	2009		16	3	—		—		—		16	3
	2010		37	5	—		3	0	—		40	5
	2011		26	4	—		5	0	—		31	4
	2012		24	5	—		1	0	—		25	5
	Total		121	19	—		9	0	—		130	19
Universidad César Vallejo	2012	Torneo Descentralizado	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
Unión Española B	2013	Segunda División Profesional	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
Unión Española	2013	Primera División	16	0	1	0	—		—		17	0
Rayo Vallecano	2013–14	La Liga	1	0	1	0	—		—		2	0
Rayo Vallecano B	2013–14	Tercera División	8	5	—		—		—		8	5
Alianza Lima	2014	Torneo Descentralizado	15	3	—		—		—		15	3
	2015	Torneo Descentralizado	4	0	10	7	2	0	—		16	7
	Total		19	3	10	7	2	0	—		31	10
Toluca	2015–16	Liga MX	36	4	6	2	7	0	—		49	6
São Paulo	2016	Série A	24	7	2	0	—		—		26	7
	2017		28	3	5	2	1	0	9	5	43	10
	2018		3	0	5	1	1	0	9	2	18	3
	Total		55	10	12	3	2	0	18	7	87	20
Krasnodar	2018–19	Russian Premier League	15	0	2	1	6	0	—		23	1
Santos (loan)	2019	Série A	5	0	3	0	—		8	0	16	0
Pachuca	2019–20	Liga MX	2	0	1	0	—		0	0	3	0
Yeni Malatyaspor	2020–21	Süper Lig	8	0	0	0	—		0	0	8	0
Al Fateh	2020–21	Saudi Pro League	15	8	2	0	—		—		17	8
	2021–22		24	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	8
	2022–23		9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	Total		48	16	3	0	0	0	0	0	51	16
Alianza Lima (loan)	2023	Liga 1	22	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	27	0
Career total			363	57	39	13	31	0	26	7	459	77

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Peru	2011	2	0
	2012	4	0
	2013	0	0
	2014	0	0
	2015	13	1
	2016	13	5
	2017	9	1
	2018	11	1
	2019	14	2
	2020	4	0
	2021	17	5
	2022	9	1
	2023	2	0
	2024	2	0
Total		100	16

Scores and results list Peru's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cueva goal.

List of international goals scored by Christian Cueva
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 June 2015	Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile	9	Brazil	1–0	1–2	2015 Copa América
2	23 May 2016	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	22	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	4–0	Friendly
3	8 June 2016	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States	24	Ecuador	1–0	2–2	Copa América Centenario
4	6 September 2016	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	28	Ecuador	1–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	6 October 2016	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	29	Argentina	2–2	2–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	10 November 2016	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay	31	Paraguay	3–1	4–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	31 August 2017	Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru	37	Bolivia	2–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	29 May 2018	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	44	Scotland	1–0	2–0	Friendly
9	22 March 2019	Red Bull Area, Harrison, United States	53	Paraguay	1–0	1–0	Friendly
10	5 June 2019	Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru	55	Costa Rica	1–0	1–0	Friendly
11	8 June 2021	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito, Ecuador	72	Ecuador	1–0	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	5 September 2021	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	81	Venezuela	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	7 October 2021	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	83	Chile	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	11 November 2021	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	86	Bolivia	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
15	16 November 2021	Estadio Olímpico de la UCV, Caracas, Venezuela	87	Venezuela	2–1	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
16	27 September 2022	Audi Field, Washington, D.C., United States	94	El Salvador	4–1	4–1	Friendly