Teófilo Cubillas facts for kids
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Cubillas with the Peru national football team
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1949 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lima, Lima Province, Peru | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Alianza Lima | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1966–1972 | Alianza Lima | 175 | (117) | |||||||||||||
| 1973 | Basel | 10 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1974–1977 | Porto | 85 | (48) | |||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Alianza Lima | 47 | (35) | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1983 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 139 | (65) | |||||||||||||
| 1983 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (indoor) | 9 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 1984 | Alianza Lima | 4 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | South Florida Sun | 7 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Alianza Lima | 13 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1988 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 12 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Miami Sharks | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 506 | (297) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1968–1982 | Peru | 81 | (28) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Alianza Lima | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (born March 8, 1949) is a famous Peruvian former footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder. Many people consider him Peru's greatest ever player. He was known for his amazing skills, powerful shots, and great free kicks.
People called him El Nene, which means The Kid, because of his young looks. He was a key player for the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América. He also helped Peru reach the quarter-finals in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and the 1978 World Cup. In 1972, he was named the South American Footballer of the Year.
In 2004, the legendary footballer Pelé chose Cubillas as one of the FIFA 100. This was a list of the 125 greatest living footballers. Cubillas is one of only three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cups. The other two are Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at Alianza Lima
Cubillas began his career with Alianza Lima when he was just 16 years old in 1966. He was nicknamed "Nene" (the kid) because he looked so young. While playing for Alianza, he was the top scorer in the Peruvian Primera División in both 1966 and 1970.
He won youth tournaments in 1965 and 1966. He played his first professional game at 17. In his very first season, he scored 19 goals, making him the top scorer. In 1967, at 18, Cubillas played his first international friendly match. He scored two goals in a big 6-1 win.
In the 1970s, Cubillas teamed up with another great player, Hugo Sotil. They were called the "Golden Pair." They played friendly matches together, showing off amazing skills. One famous game was a 4-1 win against Bayern Munich, where Cubillas scored twice. In 1972, he was the top scorer in the 1972 Copa Libertadores and was named South American Footballer of the Year.
Playing in Europe: Basel and Porto
In 1973, Cubillas moved to Switzerland to play for FC Basel. He stayed there for six months. He played 21 games and scored eight goals for the club. He even scored two goals in the 1973–74 European Cup.
Soon, big clubs like FC Porto, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid wanted him. In December 1973, Cubillas joined the Portuguese club FC Porto. He wore the number 10 shirt and had some of his best years there. He became a true fan favorite and team captain. He scored 66 goals in 110 games. He also helped Porto win the Taça de Portugal cup. Many fans still remember his amazing goals and consider him Porto's best foreign player ever.
Return to Alianza Lima
After his successful time in Portugal, Cubillas returned to Peru in 1977. He played for Alianza Lima again. He joined other talented players like Hugo Sotil and César Cueto. Together, they formed one of the best Alianza Lima teams in history.
In 1977, Alianza Lima won the 1977 Torneo Descentralizado tournament. Cubillas scored two goals in the final game, helping his team win 4-3. He won the national championship again with Alianza in 1978.
Playing in the United States
In 1979, Cubillas moved to the NASL in the United States. He signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He played five seasons there, scoring 59 goals. One memorable moment was scoring three goals in just seven minutes in a 1981 game.
He returned to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1988 for a short time. After that, he played for the Miami Sharks in 1989 before retiring at age 40.
Coming Back for Alianza Lima
After a terrible plane crash in December 1987, Alianza Lima lost most of its players. Cubillas returned from his home in Miami to play for Alianza for free. He also managed the club for a period in 1988, helping them rebuild.
International Career
Cubillas was called up to the Peru national team in 1968. He played a big role in helping Peru qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. In a memorable match, Peru drew 2-2 with Argentina, which sent Peru to the World Cup and eliminated Argentina. Cubillas played in three World Cups between 1970 and 1982.
1970 World Cup Success
Cubillas helped the Peru national team reach the quarter-finals of the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He scored in all four of Peru's matches. He scored once against Bulgaria, twice against Morocco, and once against West Germany in the first round. Cubillas then scored another goal in the quarter-final game against Brazil, who went on to win the tournament. He finished as the third highest goal scorer in the tournament.
He won the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award for his great performance.
Winning the Copa América in 1975
Peru did not qualify for the 1974 World Cup. But a year later, Cubillas helped Peru win its second South American title, the Copa América 1975. Cubillas scored against Brazil in the semi-final. He then played in the final match, helping Peru win the championship.
1978 World Cup Goals
In the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, Cubillas scored five goals for Peru. This made him the co-second highest goal scorer in the tournament. Peru moved to the second phase thanks to his goals. He scored two goals in the first game against Scotland, including a fantastic free-kick. He then scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Iran, with two of them being penalties.
Even though Cubillas played well, Peru lost their later games to Brazil, Poland, and Argentina.
1982 World Cup Appearance
Cubillas also played for the Peru national team in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three group games but did not score any goals in this tournament.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
This table shows how many games Teófilo Cubillas played and how many goals he scored for his clubs.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Alianza Lima | 1966 | Peruvian Primera División | 23 | 19 | – | |||||
| 1967 | 25 | 9 | – | – | ||||||
| 1968 | 26 | 19 | – | – | ||||||
| 1969 | 11 | 5 | – | – | ||||||
| 1970 | 27 | 22 | – | – | ||||||
| 1971 | 29 | 22 | – | – | ||||||
| 1972 | 29 | 14 | – | |||||||
| Total | 170 | 110 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| FC Basel | 1973–74 | Swiss Super League | 10 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| Porto | 1973–74 | Primeira Liga | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | 15 | 5 | |
| 1974–75 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 15 | ||
| 1975–76 | 29 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 36 | ||
| 1976–77 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 10 | ||
| Total | 85 | 48 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 108 | 65 | ||
| Alianza Lima | 1977 | Peruvian Primera División | 32 | 23 | – | – | – | 32 | 23 | |
| 1978 | 15 | 12 | – | – | 10 | 7 | 25 | 19 | ||
| Total | 47 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 57 | 42 | ||
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1979 | NASL | 30 | 16 | — | – | – | — | 32 | 16 |
| 1980 | 34 | 18 | – | – | – | – | 34 | 18 | ||
| 1981 | 34 | 19 | – | – | – | – | 34 | 19 | ||
| 1982 | 18 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 4 | ||
| 1983 | 23 | 8 | – | – | – | – | 23 | 8 | ||
| Total | 139 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 65 | ||
| Alianza Lima | 1984 | Peruvian Primera División | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 |
| South Florida Sun | 1984 | USL | 5 | 4 | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | |
| 1985 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | ||
| Alianza Lima | 1987 | Peruvian Primera División | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 | ||||
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1988 | ASL | 12 | 7 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 7 |
| Career total | 488 | 280 | 15 | 12 | 31 | 22 | 534 | 314 | ||
International Goals
This table lists the goals Teófilo Cubillas scored for the Peru national team.
- Scores and results list Peru's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cubillas goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 May 1969 | Bogotá, Colombia |  Colombia |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 9 July 1969 | Lima, Peru |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 2–0 | |||||
| 4 | 17 August 1969 | Lima, Peru |  Bolivia |
2–0 | 3–0 | 1970 World Cup qualifier |
| 5 | 7 February 1970 | Lima, Peru |  Czechoslovakia |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 9 February 1970 | Lima, Peru |  Romania |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 24 February 1970 | Lima, Peru |  Bulgaria |
1–2 | 5–3 | Friendly |
| 8 | 2 June 1970 | León, Mexico | Bulgaria |
3–2 | 3–2 | 1970 World Cup |
| 9 | 6 June 1970 | León, Mexico |  Morocco |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1970 World Cup |
| 10 | 3–0 | |||||
| 11 | 10 June 1970 | León, Mexico |  West Germany |
1–3 | 1–3 | 1970 World Cup |
| 12 | 14 June 1970 | Guadalajara, Mexico |  Brazil |
2–3 | 2–4 | 1970 World Cup |
| 13 | 10 February 1971 | Lima, Peru |  South Korea |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 4–0 | |||||
| 15 | 5 April 1972 | Mexico City, Mexico |  Mexico |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 16 | 23 April 1972 | Bucharest, Romania | Romania |
1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 17 | 4 March 1973 | Lima, Peru |  Guatemala |
2–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 18 | 4–1 | |||||
| 19 | 23 April 1973 | Lima, Peru |  Panama |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 20 | 20 August 1975 | Lima, Peru |  Chile |
2–0 | 3–1 | Copa America 1975 |
| 21 | 30 September 1975 | Belo Horizonte, Brasil | Brazil |
2–0 | 3–1 | Copa America 1975 |
| 22 | 17 July 1977 | Cali, Colombia | Bolivia |
2–0 | 5–0 | 1978 World Cup qualifier |
| 23 | 3–0 | |||||
| 24 | 3 June 1978 | Córdoba, Argentina |  Scotland |
2–1 | 3–1 | 1978 World Cup |
| 25 | 3–1 | |||||
| 26 | 11 June 1978 | Córdoba, Argentina |  Iran |
2–0 | 4–1 | 1978 World Cup |
| 27 | 3–0 | |||||
| 28 | 4–1 |
Awards and Honours
Teófilo Cubillas received many awards and honours throughout his career:
Team Honours
- Porto
- Taça de Portugal: 1976–77
- Alianza Lima
- Peruvian Primera División: 1977, 1978
- Fort Lauderdale Sun
- United Soccer League: 1984, 1985
- Peru National Team
- Copa América: 1975
Individual Awards
- Peruvian Primera División top scorer: 1966, 1970
- FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1970
- FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1970
- Copa Libertadores top scorer: 1972
- South American Footballer of the Year: 1972
- CONMEBOL All-Star Team: 1973
- Copa America Best Player: 1975
- FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 1978
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1978
- Eric Batty's World XI: 1978
- NASL All-Star teams, all-time: 1980, 1981
- NASL Best Midfield: 1981
- Fort Lauderdale Strikers top scorer, all time: 1984
- France Football: World Cup top 100 1930–1990: 2000
- World Soccer The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time: 2000
- Placar The 100 Players of the Century: 2000
- Placar The 100 Players FIFA World Cup: 2000
- FIFA 100: 2004
- IFFHS' Best Players of the Century for Peru: 2006
- World – Player of the Century Nº 48: 2006
- South American – Player of the Century Nº 17: 2006
- The Best of The Best – Player of the Century Top 50: 2007
- CONMEBOL All-Star first team 1958–2008: 2008
- Peru national team all-time scoring leader: 2008
Images for kids
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Cubillas and Eusébio in 1974
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Cubillas and Sotil with Alianza in 1979
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Hugo Sotil, Teófilo Cubillas and Roberto Challe (1973)
See also
In Spanish: Teófilo Cubillas para niños
