Paolo Guerrero facts for kids
Guerrero with Corinthians at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Paolo Guerrero Gonzáles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lima, Peru | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Current team
|
Alianza Lima | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2002 | Alianza Lima | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Bayern Munich | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Bayern Munich II | 66 | (45) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Bayern Munich | 27 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2012 | Hamburger SV | 134 | (37) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Corinthians | 104 | (40) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Flamengo | 89 | (37) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Internacional | 40 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Avaí | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Racing Club | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | LDU Quito | 13 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Universidad César Vallejo | 6 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Alianza Lima | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Peru U17 | 20 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Peru U23 | 4 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2024 | Peru | 124 | (39) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
José Paolo Guerrero Gonzáles (born 1 January 1984) is a Peruvian professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Peruvian Primera División club Alianza Lima.
He's considered a legend in South American football. For over twenty years, he has been Peru's most important football player. He started his career in Germany with big clubs like Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. He scored 47 goals in eight seasons in the Bundesliga.
His biggest successes came in Brazil. He scored the winning goal for Corinthians in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup final. With 39 goals in 123 games, Guerrero is the highest goalscorer for the Peruvian national team.
He has played in many Copas América tournaments and one World Cup. He helped Peru finish third in the 2011 and 2015 Copas. He also led them to the final in 2019. He was the top scorer in all three of these tournaments. He is also the top active scorer in the Copa América.
In 2015, he was nominated for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or. This was a huge honor for a Peruvian player. He is also the oldest Peruvian player to appear in a World Cup. He was 34 years and 177 days old at the time. Experts have named him one of the best South American forwards of the last decade.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Guerrero was born in Lima, Peru. He began his football journey in the youth teams of Alianza Lima. In 2003, he signed with the big German club Bayern Munich. During the 2003–04 season, he scored 21 goals in 23 games. In the 2004–05 season, he joined the Bayern first team. He played alongside his fellow countryman Claudio Pizarro.
Time at Hamburger SV
In June 2006, Guerrero moved to Hamburger SV. He signed a contract with the club until 2010. His first season was tough due to an injury. He also spent most of the season as a substitute player. Near the end, he scored three goals, making his total five goals in 20 games. One goal was against his old club, Bayern Munich.
In the 2007–08 season, he played 29 out of 34 games. He scored nine goals and made four assists. He became a key player for the team. He was the third top scorer for Hamburg that season. He scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Karlsruher SC. This big 7–0 win helped his team get into the UEFA Cup.
By the 2008–09 season, Guerrero was the main striker for Hamburger SV. In April 2010, he was fined by the club. This was for an incident with a fan after a game. The German Football Association also suspended him for five games.
Success with Corinthians
Guerrero joined Brazilian club Corinthians on 13 July 2012. He signed a three-year deal. He scored both of Corinthians' goals in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored in the semi-finals and the winning goal in the final against Chelsea.
In May 2013, Guerrero was featured on the cover of Placar. This is Brazil's biggest football magazine. The cover showed him as a "warrior" (guerrero means warrior). In July 2013, Corinthians won the 2013 Recopa Sudamericana. Guerrero scored in the first game. In 2015, Guerrero left Corinthians. They could not agree on a new contract.
Playing for Flamengo
On 29 May 2015, it was announced that Guerrero would join Flamengo. He joined after playing for Peru in the 2015 Copa América. In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Guerrero scored two goals in the semi-final win. He also scored a goal in the final. Flamengo won the tournament 3–1.
Time at Internacional
On 12 August 2018, Guerrero signed with S.C. Internacional. He signed a three-year contract. He was given the number 79. This was to remember the last time Inter won the Brazilian league. However, he faced a temporary ban from playing. This meant he could not play his first match until April 2019.
In 2019, Guerrero's number changed to 9. He finally made his debut for Inter on 6 April. He scored in a 2–0 win. He also scored twice in his Copa Libertadores debut. On 26 October 2021, Guerrero left Internacional.
Later Club Teams
On 21 July 2022, Guerrero joined Avaí for the rest of the 2022 season. On 24 January 2023, he signed for Racing Club in Argentina. He scored his first goal for them in a Copa Argentina match.
In September 2023, Guerrero started playing for LDU Quito in Ecuador. He helped them reach the Copa Sudamericana final. He scored two goals in the semi-finals.
On 2 February 2024, Guerrero signed with Universidad César Vallejo in Peru. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw. He later left the club due to family safety concerns. On 1 September 2024, Alianza Lima announced Guerrero as their new player.
International Career
Guerrero's national career started at the 2001 Bolivarian Games. He won a gold medal with the U-17 team. His career with the senior team began in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. He scored two goals in that campaign.
He scored the winning goal against Chile. He also scored an early goal against Ecuador. In the 2007 Copa América, he scored in a 3–0 win over Uruguay. Peru reached the quarter-finals in that tournament.
Guerrero missed some 2010 World Cup qualifying games due to injury. Later, he was suspended for six games. This was for an incident during a match against Uruguay.
Copa América Success
After a change in coaches, Guerrero was called up for the 2011 Copa América. He played as the main striker. He scored five goals, becoming the tournament's top scorer. He scored against Uruguay and Mexico. He also scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Venezuela in the third-place play-off. Peru won that match 4–1.
At the 2015 Copa América in Chile, Guerrero scored another hat-trick. This was in a 3–1 win against Bolivia. He scored again in Peru's 2–0 win over Paraguay. This helped Peru get third place for the second time in a row. He was also a joint top-goalscorer in this tournament.
On 4 June 2016, Guerrero became Peru's all-time leading goalscorer. He scored against Haiti in a 1–0 win.
Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Guerrero played in 17 games during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He scored five goals. This helped Peru reach the play-offs. On 3 November 2017, it was announced that Guerrero had a problem with a doping control test. He received a temporary suspension. This meant he missed the World Cup play-off games. Peru won those games without him.
.jpg)
Later, his ban was extended. His lawyers argued that the test result was due to drinking a traditional tea. On 31 May 2018, it was announced that Guerrero could play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was after a court temporarily lifted the ban. On 3 June 2018, Guerrero returned to play. He scored two goals in a friendly win against Saudi Arabia.
Playing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Guerrero made his World Cup debut on 16 June 2018. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Denmark. On 26 June, he helped set up a goal for André Carrillo. This was Peru's first World Cup goal in 36 years. Guerrero then scored the second goal in Peru's 2–0 win over Australia. Peru did not advance past the group stage. At 34 years and 177 days old, he became the oldest Peruvian player to appear in a FIFA World Cup.
2019 Copa América Performance
In May 2019, Guerrero was chosen for Peru's squad for the 2019 Copa América. He scored the first goal in Peru's 3–1 win over Bolivia. In the semi-finals, he scored the last goal in a 3–0 win against Chile. This sent Peru to the final for the first time since 1975.
In the 2019 Copa América Final against Brazil, Guerrero scored a penalty goal. Brazil eventually won the match 3–1. Guerrero finished the tournament as a top scorer with 3 goals. On 11 October 2019, Guerrero played his 100th international game for Peru.
Personal Life
Paolo Guerrero has a fear of flying. Some reports say this fear is because his uncle, José González Ganoza, died in a plane crash in 1987.
Guerrero's older brother, Julio Rivera, was also a footballer. He played for the Peru national team. Both brothers followed in the footsteps of their uncle. Their uncle had also played for Alianza Lima and the Peru national team.
Guerrero is a Roman Catholic. In 2019, his nephew, also named Julio Rivera, passed away. In 2024, his mother faced threats from a criminal group.
Honors and Awards
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2004–05, 2005–06
- DFB-Pokal: 2004–05, 2005–06
Hamburger SV
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007
Corinthians
- Campeonato Paulista: 2013
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2013
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2012
Flamengo
- Campeonato Carioca: 2017
Internacional
- Copa do Brasil runner-up: 2019
LDU Quito
- Serie A: 2023
- Copa Sudamericana: 2023
Peru U17
- Bolivarian Games: 2001
Peru
- Copa América runner-up: 2019; third-place: 2011, 2015
Individual Awards
- Copa América Top Scorer: 2011, 2015, 2019
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2011, 2015, 2019
- FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2012
- FIFA Club World Cup Best Forward: 2012
- Campeonato Paulista Best Forward: 2013
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Tournament: 2013
- Copa do Brasil Best Player: 2019
- Copa do Brasil Top Scorer: 2019
- Top Foreign Scorer in Corinthians history: 2014
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2014
- Campeonato Carioca Team of the Year: 2017
- IFFHS CONMEBOL team of the decade 2011–2020
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Guerrero para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
