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Teófilo Cubillas

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cubillas and the second or maternal family name is Arizaga.

Teófilo Cubillas
Cubillas with the Peru national football team
Personal information
Full name Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga
Date of birth (1949-03-08) 8 March 1949 (age 75)
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
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Peru
Copa América
Winner 1975
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (Spanish pronunciation: [teˈofilo kuˈβiʎas]; born 8 March 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is considered as Peru's greatest ever player and one of the best in history of South America. In an IFFHS poll he was selected as the best Peruvian player in history and was also included in the world's Top 50 of the 20th century.[1] At the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Pelé acknowledged Cubillas, referring to him as his successor.[2] Cubillas was renowned for his technique, shooting ability and free kick ability.[3]

Beginning at Alianza Lima, he was nicknamed El Nene (The Kid), and was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América.[4] He helped Peru reach the quarter finals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup[5] and again at the 1978 World Cup[6], along with qualifying for the 1982 World Cup. He was elected the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972. At a club level, he is the second all time highest goalscorer of Alianza Lima with 165 and the top goalscorer of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers with 65. For the national team, he is the third all time goalscorer with 28 goals in 81 appearances. He is also the joint 10th all time goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup with 10 goals in 13 matches.

In 2004, Pelé selected Cubillas as one of the FIFA 100, a list of 125 footballing greats.[7] In February 2008, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Brazilian World Cup victory, he was selected in the All-Star First Team of South America of the past 50 years.[8] Cubillas is one of only three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cups, the other two being Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller.[9] His free-kick against Scotland in 1978 is renowned as one of the best goals scored at the World Cup.

Club career

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Early career

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Combined team Alianza Municipal in 1971

Nicknamed "Nene" (the kid) for his boyish looks, Cubillas began his career with Alianza Lima at the age of 16 in 1966.[10] While at Alianza, he was top scorer in the Peruvian Primera División in 1966 and 1970.[11]

Cubillas won the youth tournaments of 1965 and 1966. He made his debut at the age of 17 in the Peruvian Primera División with Alianza Lima. In his first season, he was the tournament's top scorer with 19 goals. In the summer of 1967, Cubillas, aged 18, made his international debut in a friendly match and scored a double in a 6-1 win over Independiente of Argentina.

Directors of Deportivo Municipal and Alianza Lima formed a team in 1971 to play a series of friendly matches with the aim of bringing together Teófilo Cubillas with Hugo Sotil, another great star of the time, known as the Golden Pair, which left historic scorelines such as the victory over Benfica and the 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich.

In 1972, Cubillas had his one of his most successful season in several years. He was the 1972 Copa Libertadores top scorer and elected South American Footballer of the Year.[12]

Basel

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In the summer of 1973, Cubillas transferred to Swiss football club FC Basel under head coach Helmut Benthaus. The Basler entrepreneur and transport company owner Ruedi Reisdorfer paid the transfer fee of £97,000.[13][14] After playing in four Cup of the Alps games, Cubillas played his Swiss league debut for the club on 18 August in the away game against Chênois. He scored his first goal for the club in the same game as Basel won 1–0.[15] Cubillas scored two goals for Basel in the 1973–74 European Cup, the first of which in the 1st leg against Fram on 19 September 1973 and the second in the return leg on 20 September.[16] He only remained at the club for six months, where Cubillas played a total of 21 games for Basel scoring a total of 8 goals.[17]

FC Porto, Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, AC Milan and Real Madrid took interest in Cubillas. But Basel was not willing to let the footballer go so soon. In December 1973, the Portuguese from Porto announced that they could raise enough money for the transfer, a commercial strategy that would be the last chance for Cubillas. Finally, Basel accepted and Cubillas was able to transfer to Portuguese club FC Porto for a fee of £200,000.[14]

Porto

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Cubillas and Eusébio in 1974

Cubilla arrived at Porto wearing the number 10 shirt and enjoying his best years as a player. Despite not winning the league, he won the captain's armband, becoming the true idol, top scorer and captain of Porto. He scored 66 goals in 110 games, won the Taça de Portugal and two league runner-up finishes.

Cubillas is considered the best foreign player to have played for FC Porto. Nene himself remembers that "He was the highest paid player in the country, even ahead of Eusébio, a legend of Benfica and world football."

Alianza Lima

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Cubillas and Sotil with Alianza in 1979

After his outstanding time in Portugal in 1977, Cubillas returned to Peru to play again for Alianza Lima.[17] Cubillas, along with many other players such as Hugo Sotil, César Cueto, José Velásquez and other, formed one of the best Alianza Lima sides in their history.

The 1977 Torneo Descentralizado tournament was between Alianza Lima and Melgar, both teams with the only chances of lifting the championship trophy. For Melgar, the objective was to defeat Sporting Cristal and hope that Alianza Lima did not score any points against Universitario. Sporting Cristal came out defeating Melgar and Alianza Lima defeated Universitario at home 4-3 winning the 1977 tournament with Cubillas scoring two of the goals. Cubillas would win the national championship again with Alianza in 1978.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

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In 1979, Cubillas joined the NASL, signing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where he spent five seasons, scoring 59 league goals, including three goals in seven minutes against the Los Angeles Aztecs in 1981.[18]

In May 1988 Cubillas returned with the newly resurrected Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Soccer League.[19] The Strikers went to the ASL title game where they fell to the Washington Diplomats.[20] Following the loss to the Diplomats, the Strikers released Cubillas.[21]

Return to Alianza Lima

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Following the December 1987 Alianza Lima air crash Cubillas returned from Miami to play for free for Alianza, who lost most of their players in the crash.[22] He also managed the club for a period in 1988.[23]

Miami Sharks

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In March 1989, he signed with the Miami Sharks but was released on 3 July after scoring only one goal in eight games.[24] That same year Cubillas retired at the age of 40. In June 1991 he was playing and coaching at Miramar Illusiones of the Gold Coast Soccer League in Florida.[25]

International career

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Cubillas with Peru before a match in 1968

After standing out notably in local football, he was called up to the Peru national team by head coach Didi for 1968 for the qualifiers for the 1970 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico. At just 18 years old, Cubillas made his official debut against Argentina in the qualifiers in the last round of qualifiers in 1968.[26] In a match that will be difficult to forget for both Peruvians and Argentines, led by Cubillas, Peru started a heroic draw in 2 to 2 that took them to the World Cup and that eliminated the Argentine national team. Cubillas would score his first goal for Peru on 8 May, 1969 in a friendly against Colombia in Bogotá. Cubillas would play in three World Cups between 1970 and 1982 along with one Copa América.[27]

1970 World Cup

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Hugo Sotil, Teófilo Cubillas and Roberto Challe (1973)

Cubillas helped the Peru national team advance to the quarter-finals of the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He scored in all of Peru's four matches: once against Bulgaria, twice against Morocco, and once against West Germany, all in the first round. Cubillas then scored another goal in the quarter-final loss against eventual champions Brazil, and he thus finished as the third highest goal scorer in the tournament.[5]

After winning the 1970 World Cup, Pelé who has been Cubillas's idol quoted, ''Don't worry, I already have a successor and it is Teófilo Cubillas''. Cubillas won the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award of the tournament, and was third in the Golden Shoe award.[28]

1975 Copa America

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The Peru national team failed qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, with Cubillas missing out on the play off match against Chile. A year later however, Cubillas helped Peru win its second Copa América, winning the 1975 Copa América. Peru was placed in a group with Chile and Bolivia. After eliminating Chile and Bolivia in the first round, the country faced Brazil in the semi-finals. Cubillas scored against Brazil to reach the final against Colombia. The first match was played in Bogotá, where Peru lost 1-0. The second match was played in Lima and Peru won 2-0. However, both teams were level on points and had to play in the play-off final. Cubillas played in the play-off match in the final, where partner Hugo Sotil scored to make the game 1-0.[4] As a result, Peru won its second continental tournament. Cubillas was the Best Player of that tournament and among his goals is the beautiful goal against Brazil in Peru's historic 3-1 victory over Brazil, played in Belo Horizonte.

1978 World Cup

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Cubillas with Peru playing against Iran at the 1978 World Cup

Cubillas played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, with a good start, showing his skill, finishing co-second highest goal scorer after Mario Kempes, and helping Peru win first place of its group, advancing to the second round. In the match against Scotland Cubillas scored two goals[29] and then scored a hat-trick in the game against Iran, including two penalties.[6] The magnificent free kick goal that Cubillas scored against Scotland with the outside edge of his boot, is today in the FIFA archives as a model of free kick execution and is considered one of the best in history. In that tournament, Peru's midfield made up of José Velásquez, César Cueto and Cubillas was considered by international critics as the best of the first phase of the World Cup.

Already in the quarterfinals, the Peruvian team dropped its level and ended up being beaten by Argentina 6-0, a result that generated controversy, because for all experts there was no football difference to give that result and this allowed Argentina to qualify for the final. Peru subsequently lost to Brazil and Poland, finishing last with zero points. Cubillas played all six of Peru's matches in the tournament and won the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top scorer and was considered part of the championship's ideal team.

1982 World Cup

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Cubillas was also in the Peru national team for 1982 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three group games but did not score any goals.[27] After being eliminated in the first phase, Cubillas would retire from the national team at the age of 33, with a total of 28 goals scored in 81 appearances.

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Alianza Lima 1966 Peruvian Primera División[30] 23 19[11] –
1967 25 9 – –
1968 26 19 – –
1969 11 5 – –
1970 27 22[11] – –
1971 29 22 – –
1972 29 14 –
Total 170 110 0 0
FC Basel 1973–74 Swiss Super League[30] 10 3 2[31]
Porto 1973–74 Primeira Liga[30] 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[30] 32 23 – – – 32 23
1978 15 12 – – 10 7 25 19
Total 47 35 0 0 10 7 57 42
Fort Lauderdale Strikers[32] 1979 NASL[a] 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[33] 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[34] ASL 12 7 – – – – 12 7
Career total 488 280 15 12 31 22 534 314
  1. ^ Total statistics for his time in the NASL (1979–83) include playoff matches.

International

[edit]
Scores and results list Peru's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cubillas goal.
List of international goals scored by Teófilo Cubillas[35]
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

Honours

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Porto

Alianza Lima

Basel

Fort Lauderdale Sun

Peru

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b Karel Stokkermans (30 January 2000). "World Player of the Century". IFFHS' Century Elections. RSSSF. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Pelé y la vez que denominó a Teófilo Cubillas como su sucesor". infobae (in European Spanish). 5 October 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  3. ^ Teófilo Cubillas Planet World Cup
  4. ^ a b Martin Tabeira (12 August 2009). "Copa América 1975". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Group D". World Cup 1970 results and line-ups. RSSSF. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Group D". World Cup 1978 finals – results and line-ups. RSSSF. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  8. ^ All-Star First Team Selection (1958–2008) Retrieved on 17 January 2009. Archived 4 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "World Cup Countdown: 12 Weeks to Go - The Story of Teofilo Cubillas, the Peruvian Pele". Sports Illustrated. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  10. ^ Clemente Lisi (14 February 2012). "What Ever Happened To... Teofilo Cubillas". US Soccer Players. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d Peruvian Championship: Top Scorer Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  12. ^ José Luis Pierrend (22 December 2000). "South American Player of the Year 1972". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  13. ^ Zindel, Josef (2018), "Die ersten 125 Jahre", 1974 - Cubillas, Pages 72 + 73, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, Basel
  14. ^ a b Jan Alsos. "Teofilio Cubillas (Peru)". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  15. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. "CS Chênois - FC Basel 0:1 (0:1)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  16. ^ Antonio Zea and Marcel Haisma (9 January 2008). "European Champions' Cup 1973–74 – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  17. ^ a b Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. "Teofilo Cubillas - FCB-Statistik". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Team Records and League Honors". Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  19. ^ CUBILLAS SIGNS WITH STRIKERS Miami Herald, The (FL) – Saturday, 7 May 1988
  20. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1988". Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  21. ^ STRIKERS LOSE FINAL, RELEASE CUBILLAS Miami Herald, The (FL) – Sunday, 28 August 1988
  22. ^ Philip Bennett (2 February 1988). "A Nation Grieves: With A Soccer Team's Death, Peru Loses An 'Island Of Hope'". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  23. ^ "ENTRENADORES". Historia Blanquiazul (in Spanish). Club Alianza Lima. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  24. ^ SHARKS OWNER CUTS CUBILLAS, CLAIMS POOR PLAY, LITTLE EFFORT Miami Herald, The (FL) – Monday, 3 July 1989
  25. ^ JEFF RUSNAK (21 June 1991). "Back Trouble". SunSentinel. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  26. ^ "Discover Peru: Teófilo Cubillas". Inkatour. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  27. ^ a b Teofilo Cubillas: Legends of the Football World Cup Archived 4 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 19 May 2013
  28. ^ "1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico". FIFA. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  29. ^ David Edbrooke (1 February 2008). "The 25 best free-kicks of all-time (#11)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  30. ^ a b c d "Cubillas: Teófilo Cubillas Arizaga" (in Portuguese). Fora De Jogo. Retrieved 4 November 2012. (stats assumed to be League-only)
  31. ^ Antonio Zea and Marcel Haisma (9 January 2008). "European Champions' Cup 1973–74 – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  32. ^ David Litterer. "Part 1: Player Biographies, A-H". TOP INTERNATIONAL STARS IN THE NASL, 1967–1984. American Soccer History Archives. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  33. ^ "Teofilo Cubillas". North American Soccer League Players. Nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  34. ^ "Ft. Lauderdale Strikers". American Soccer League 1988 Season. A-League Archives. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  35. ^ "Teófilo Cubillas – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
  36. ^ CONMEBOL All-Star Team Archived 10 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  37. ^ McCracken, Craig (7 November 2013). "Eric Batty's World XI – The Seventies". Beyond The Last Man. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  38. ^ NASL All-Star teams, all-time Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  39. ^ France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990 Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  40. ^ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  41. ^ Placar's 100 Craques do Século Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  42. ^ Os 100 Craques das Copas (Placar Magazine) Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  43. ^ World – Player of the Century Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  44. ^ South American – Player of the Century Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  45. ^ "The Best of The Best" Retrieved on 3 January 2009
  46. ^ CONMEBOL All-Star first team 1958–2008 Archived 4 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 January 2009
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