Teófilo Cubillas

From Perupedia

Teófilo Cubillas Arizaga (born March 8, 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer. He is considered Peru's most renowned player,^[1]and one of the best South-American footballers of all-time. ^[2]

Nicknamed El nene, he was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América.^[3] He helped reach 7th place at the 1970 World Cup,^[4] 8th place at the 1978 World Cup^[5] and was elected the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972.

Cubillas was a midfielder of excellent technical ability, powerful shot and great dribbling, he was also known as a free kick specialist.^[6] He was a prolific goalscorer ( with 515 goals in his whole career), his 10 World Cup goals place him in 7th place in the ranking of the World Cup all-time scorers, and are the most by any midfielder in the World Cup. He is the all-time leading scorer for his country, with 45 goals in 117 matches. He was voted the 48th best footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS. ^[7] Pelé named Cubillas as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list. ^[8]In February 2008, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Brasilian World Cup victory he was selected in the All-Star First Team of South America of the past 50 years.^[9]

Club career

Nicknamed "Nene" (the babe) for his boyish looks, Cubillas was born near Puente Piedra, Lima. His career began with Peruvian club Alianza Lima at the age of 16. Already in his first season, he was top scorer of the League with 19 goals in 23 matches. He made his international debut for Alianza against Independiente in February 1967. His team won 6-1 with Cubillas scoring two goals. The 1970 season proved to be another good season for Cubillas as he scored 22 Goals in 29 games for Alianza, earning himself the title of Top Scorer. Despite his brilliant form, however, Alianza were unable to mount a title challenge that year, and their fourth place finish was not enough to attain even a Libertadores Cup place.

In 1972, he had his most successful season in several years. He was Libertadores Cup top scorer and South American Footballer of the Year.^[10] During his first stint at Alianza, he scored 116 goals in 175 games between 1966 and 1972.

In Aug 27 1973, All-Star teams from the American and European continents played against each other in Barcelona, Spain. Soccer greats such as Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Rivelino and Teofilo Cubillas participated in that game. The game finished 4-4, and in Penalty kicks, America won 7-6. By then, he was considered one of greatest soccer stars in the world at that time.

After a successful career in Peru he left his homeland to play for Swiss football club FC Basel. Unable to settle in Switzerland, Cubillas moved to Portuguese club FC Porto, where he scored 65 goals in 108 games, but trophies still evaded him.

Cubillas returned to Peru in the 1977-1978 season for a second stint with his beloved Alianza Lima, where he won 2 Peruvian league titles and scored 42 goals in 56 appearances. His European and international experience had shaped him into an amazing player.

In 1979 Nene followed the leads of many of the great players of the time like Pele, Cruyff, Best, and Beckenbauer by joining the NASL—America's rapidly rising soccer league. Nene signed for George Best's Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where he spent five seasons, scoring 65 goals in 141 games and notably scoring three goals in seven minutes against Los Angeles Aztecs in 1981^[11]. At this point Nene's best days were behind him, he joined the Fort Lauderdale Sun of the U.S. second division United Soccer League (USL).

He made a return from retirement to play for Alianza Lima after its entire team died in an aircraft crash in the ocean near Ventanilla, Callao, Peru, on December 8th 1987, the worst tragedy in the history of Peruvian football. Cubillas scored three goals in 13 matches, not a bad tally for an old man. But the comeback was really only to give hope to the fans and respect to the fallen players of the team he loved.

Cubillas ended his playing days with the Miami Sharks in the 1988-1989 season, scoring 7 goals in 16 appearances. He eventually settled in Coral Springs, Florida, where he lives to this day teaching football to the children at his academy with his sons (both former professional players).

International career

Teofilo Cubillas played in two World Cups eight years apart and scored five goals in each, something that had never been achieved before, making him one of the most prolific scorers in World Cup history. Also, is considered one of the greatest World Cup players of the seventies. ^[12]

1970 World Cup: Quarter Finals (7º Place)

Cubillas was only 20 when he made his World Cup debut at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Not only did he fulfil all the fans' expectations, he became a househole name after the tournament. He was considered no less a star than Jairzinho, Muller, Beckenbauer and Rivera. Some even compared him to a youthful Pele.

Cubillas helped Peru advance to the quarterfinals of the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He scored in all of Peru's four matches: once against Bulgaria, twice against Morocco, and one against West Germany, all in the first round, and one more in the quarterfinal loss against eventual champions Brazil. He had picked up the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award, Bronze boot award (he finished behind Jairzinho and Muller —not bad considering he played two less games), made the World Cup All-star team, and far exceeded the expectations of a humble football nation. After of the World Cup, Pelé himself named to Cubillas his "successor".

1975 Copa America: Champion

Peru did not qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, but a year later Cubillas helped the Peruvian team win its second South American title, scoring two goals that helped Peru beat Brazil 3-1 in the semifinals.

1978 World Cup: Quarter Finals (8º Place)

In the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, he scored five goals for the Peruvian national team, finishing joint second highest goal scorer after Mario Kempes. Peru advanced to the second phase of the tournament thanks largely to goals Cubillas: he scored two memorable goals in the opening match against Scotland, one from a free kick. Then, Peru was held by the mighty Holland but Cubillas scored a hat-trick in the game against Iran, including two penalties. However, just like in Mexico, Peru fail to win against stronger opponents and this time, they lost to Brazil , Poland and Argentina in the second group phase. When finalizing the match the international press included it in All-star team.

1982 World Cup: First Round

He was also in the Peruvian squad for 1982 FIFA World Cup, there were high expectations for Peru as a dark horse favorite to win the cup with a team that included such notable players as Cesar Cueto, José Velásquez, Julio Cesar Uribe and Cubillas. However, Peru were knocked out in the first round, after draws against both Cameroon (0-0) and Italy (1-1) and a loss against Poland (1-4). Months later, Cubillas retired from the Peru national team.

Honors

Club

Alianza Lima

• Peruvian League
  • Winner (2): 1977, 1978
  • Runner Up (1): 1971
• Metropolitan Championship
  • Winner (1): 1978

FC Basel

• Swiss League Cup
  • Winner (1): 1973

FC Porto

• Portuguese Liga
  • Runner Up (1): 1975

FL Strikers

• North American Soccer League
  • Runner Up (1): 1981

South Florida Sun

• United Soccer League
  • Winner (1): 1985

National team

• Copa America
  • Winner (1):1975

Individual

• 1966 Peruvian Championship: Top Scorer
• 1970 Peruvian Championship: Top Scorer ^[13]
• 1970 FIFA World Cup: Best Young Player
• 1970 FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team (Player)
• 1970 World Cup Bronze Boot
• 1972 Libertadores Cup: Top Scorer
• 1972 South American Footballer of the Year
• 1973 CONMEBOL All-Star Team ^[14]
• 1975 Copa America: Best Player
• 1978 FIFA World Cup: Silver Boot
• 1980 FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team (Player)
• 1980 NASL All-Star teams, all-time ^[15]
• 1981 NASL: Best Midfield
• 1981 NASL All-Star teams, all-time ^[16]
• 1984 Fort Lauderdale Strikers: Top Scorer, all time. ^[17]
• 2000 France Football: World Cup Top-100 1930-1990 ^[18]
• 2000 World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time ^[19]
• 2000 Placar: The 100 Players of the Century ^[20]
• 2000 Placar: The 100 Players FIFA World Cup^[21]
• 2004 FIFA 100
• 2006 IFFHS' Best Players of the Century for Peru ^[22]
• 2006 World - Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 48^[23]
• 2006 South American - Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 17 ^[24]
• 2007 The Best of The Best - Player of the Century: Top 50^[25]
• 2008 CONMEBOL All-Star first team 1958-2008 ^[26]
• 2008 Peru National Team all-time scoring leader

Records

• Cubillas played in 13 World Cup matches for Peru.
• 7th place in the all-time World Cup goalscoring list. (10 goals)
• He was the first player in World Cup history to score at least 5 goals in each of 2 World Cups (1970, 1978). Miroslav Klose of Germany is the only other player to have achieved the feat (2002, 2006).
• On the international level, he is the all-time highest scorer for Peru's national team, with 45 goals in 117 national team matches.
• Younger Scorer of the Peruvian League all-time (17 years, 7 months) , in 1966 (19 goals, 23 matchs).
• 16th place in the NASL all time players points table, with 179 points, 5 seasons, 120 matches and 59 goals

Statistics

Career statistics

Competition statistics

• Primera División : 469 appearances 268 goals
• Portuguese Cup : 13 appearances 10 goals
• Swiss Cup : 2 appearances 2 goals
• Copa Libertadores : 18 appearances 13 goal
• UEFA Champions League : 2 appearances 2 goals
• UEFA Cup : 10 appearances 7 goals
• FIFA World Cup : 13 appearances 10 goals
• Copa America : 5 appearances 2 goals

International goals

Teofilo Cubillas Arizaga: International goals^[27]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1969-07-17	Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia	2-1	3-1	Friendly
2	1969-09-07	Lima, Peru	22x20px Paraguay	1-0	2-1	Friendly
3	1969-09-07	Lima, Peru	22x20px Paraguay	2-0	2-1	Friendly
4	1969-08-17	Lima, Peru	Bolivia	2-0	3-0	1970 World Cup Qualifier
5	1970-07-02	Lima, Peru	22x20px Czechoslovakia	2-1	2-1	Friendly
6	1970-09-02	Lima, Peru	22x20px Romania	1-1	1-1	Friendly
7	1970-02-24	Lima, Peru	22x20px Bulgaria	1-2	5-3	Friendly
8	1970-06-02	León, Mexico	22x20px Bulgaria	3-2	3-2	1970 World Cup
9	1970-06-02	León, Mexico	22x20px Morocco	1-0	3-0	1970 World Cup
10	1970-06-06	León, Mexico	22x20px Morocco	3-0	3-0	1970 World Cup
11	1970-06-10	León, Mexico	22x20px West Germany	1-2	1-3	1970 World Cup
12	1970-06-14	Guadalajara, Mexico	Brazil	2-3	2-4	1970 World Cup
13	1972-04-05	Mexico City, Mexico	22x20px Mexico	1-1	1-2	Friendly
14	1972-04-23	Bucharest, Romania	22x20px Romania	1-1	2-2	Friendly
15	1973-03-04	Lima, Peru	22x20px Guatemala	2-0	5-1	Friendly
16	1973-03-04	Lima, Peru	22x20px Guatemala	4-1	5-1	Friendly
17	1973-04-23	Lima, Peru	22x20px Panama	3-0	4-0	Friendly
18	1975-08-20	Lima, Peru	Chile	2-0	3-1	Copa America 1975
19	1975-09-30	Belo Horizonte, Brasil	Brazil	2-0	3-1	Copa America 1975
20	1977-07-17	Cali, Colombia	Bolivia	2-0	5-0	1978 World Cup Qualifier
21	1977-07-17	Cali, Colombia	Bolivia	3-0	5-0	1978 World Cup Qualifier
22	1978-06-03	Córdoba, Argentina	22x20px Scotland	2-1	3-1	1978 World Cup
23	1978-06-03	Córdoba, Argentina	22x20px Scotland	3-1	3-1	1978 World Cup
24	1978-06-11	Córdoba, Argentina	22x20px Iran	2-0	4-1	1978 World Cup
25	1978-06-11	Córdoba, Argentina	22x20px Iran	3-0	4-1	1978 World Cup
26	1978-06-11	Córdoba, Argentina	22x20px Iran	4-1	4-1	1978 World Cup

General statistics

• The information includes official and friendly games.

Team	Goals	Matches	Goal average
Alianza Lima	295	448	0.66
22x20px FC Basel	8	16	0.50
22x20px FC Porto	69	113	0.61
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	74	155	0.48
South Florida Sun	7	14	0.50
Miami Sharks	9	19	0.45
Peru National Team	45	117	0.38
Others	8	10	0.80
Total	515	892	0.58

References

1. ↑ IFFHS' Players and Keepers of the Century for many countries Retrieved on January 17, 2009
2. ↑ ESPN Perfiles: Cubillas, One of the Greatest Soccer Players of All Time Retrieved on april 7, 2009
3. ↑ Copa América 1975 Retrieved on January 17, 2009
4. ↑ World Cup 1970 Retrieved on January 17, 2009
5. ↑ World Cup 1978 Retrieved on January 17, 2009
6. ↑ The 25 best free-kicks of all-time Retrieved on april 7, 2009
7. ↑ IFFHS' Century Elections - rsssf.com - by Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 2000.
8. ↑ Source: http://www.the-100.com/players/Teofilo_Cubillas.aspx
9. ↑ All-Star First Team Selection (1958-2008) Retrieved on January 17, 2009.
10. ↑ South American Player of the Year 1972
11. ↑ Team Records and League Honors Retrieved on January 3, 2009
12. ↑ Teofilo Cubillas: Legends of the Football World Cup Retrieved on April 8, 2009
13. ↑ Peruvian Championship: Top Scorer Retrieved on January 3, 2009
14. ↑ CONMEBOL All-Star Team Retrieved on January 3, 2009
15. ↑ NASL All-Star teams, all-time Retrieved on January 3, 2009
16. ↑ NASL All-Star teams, all-time Retrieved on January 3, 2009
17. ↑ Fort Lauderdale Strikers: Top Scorer, all time Retrieved on January 3, 2009
18. ↑ France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930-1990 Retrieved on January 3, 2009
19. ↑ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on January 3, 2009
20. ↑ Placar's 100 Craques do Século Retrieved on January 3, 2009
21. ↑ Os 100 Craques das Copas (Placar Magazine) Retrieved on January 3, 2009
22. ↑ IFFHS' Players and Keepers of the Century for many countries Retrieved on January 3, 2009
23. ↑ World - Player of the Century Retrieved on January 3, 2009
24. ↑ South American - Player of the Century Retrieved on January 3, 2009
25. ↑ "The Best of The Best" Retrieved on January 3, 2009
26. ↑ CONMEBOL All-Star first team 1958-2008 Retrieved on January 3, 2009
27. ↑ "Teófilo Cubillas - Goals in International Matches". Rsssf.com. 2006-11-03. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/cubillas-intlg.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 

External links

• Teofilo "Nene" Cubillas and the Exclusive Nature of True Legendary Status
• CubillasInc.com and Nene Cubillas Camp Futbol - Official Website
• RSSSF.com - detail of goals in international matches
• History of Teofilo Cubillas

Teófilo Cubillas - International tournaments v · d · ePeru squad – 1970 FIFA World Cup 1 Rubiños • 2 Campos • 3 de la Torre • 4 Chumpitaz • 5 Fuentes • 6 Mifflin • 7 Challe • 8 Baylón • 9 León • 10 Cubillas • 11 Gallardo • 12 Correa • 13 P. González • 14 Fernández • 15 J. González • 16 Salinas • 17 Cruzado • 18 del Castillo • 19 Reyes • 20 Sotil • 21 Goyzueta • 22 Ramírez • Coach: Didi v · d · ePeru squad – Copa América 1975 1 Acasuzo • 2 Aparacio • 3 Barbadillo • 4 Casaretto • 5 Cubillas • 6 Chumpitaz • 7 Cueto • 8 Díaz • 9 González Ganoza • 10 Mélendez • 11 Navarro • 12 Oblitas • 13 Ojeda • 14 Párraga • 15 Quesada • 16 Ramírez • 17 Rojas • 18 Ruiz • 19 Sartor • 20 Soria • 21 Sotil • 22 Velásquez • Coach: Calderon v · d · ePeru squad – 1978 FIFA World Cup 1 Sartor • 2 Duarte • 3 Manzo • 4 Chumpitaz • 5 Díaz • 6 Velásquez • 7 Muñante • 8 Cueto • 9 P. Rojas • 10 Cubillas • 11 Oblitas • 12 Mosquera • 13 Cáceres • 14 Navarro • 15 Leguía • 16 Gorriti • 17 Quesada • 18 Labarthe • 19 La Rosa • 20 Sotil • 21 Quiroga • 22 R. Rojas • Coach: Calderón v · d · ePeru squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Acasuzo • 2 Duarte • 3 Salguero • 4 Gastulo • 5 Leguía • 6 Velásquez • 7 Barbadillo • 8 Cueto • 9 Uribe • 10 Cubillas • 11 Oblitas • 12 González • 13 Arizaga • 14 Gutiérrez • 15 Díaz • 16 Olaechea • 17 Navarro • 18 Malásquez • 19 La Rosa • 20 Rojas • 21 Quiroga • 22 Reyna • Coach: Tim

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