Peru

The Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Russia 2018 will be the first World Cup for Peru since 1982, and the team saw its share of scandal before securing qualification. In the last match of the qualification stage, Peru drew with Colombia, with both teams benefitting from the result. ‘The Incas’ went on to the play-offs while Colombia qualified directly. However, immediately after the game it emerged that the players had openly discussed the outcome on the pitch as suiting both teams. Despite the furor that ensued, neither team was punished.

Following that, the team’s top scorer, Jose Paolo Guerrero, tested positive for cocaine and was handed a one-year ban, meaning he missed both of the intercontinental play-off matches against New Zealand (although it was later reduced, meaning he will be eligible to play in Russia).

Finally, before the home play-off leg against New Zealand, Peruvian fans did their best to disrupt the visiting team’s preparations. They set off fireworks in front of the hotel where the New Zealand team were staying, and reportedly even resorted to black magic.

Ultimately, Peru secured a 2-0 second-leg victory after a 0-0 draw in New Zealand, and booked their place at the World Cup after a 36-year absence. When the team qualified, the Peruvian government declared a national holiday.

Stars

Peru’s biggest star is striker Jose Paolo Guerrero. The 34-year-old forward spent the most productive part of his career in Germany playing for Bayern Munich and Hamburg, and could have achieved more were it not for numerous injuries. Guerrero is notorious for his temper and often finds himself caught up in controversy: viciously attacking goalkeepers, insulting referees and even throwing a water bottle at a fan. Guerrero has two bronze Copa America medals to his name and is Peru’s top goalscorer, both all-time and in the recent qualifying campaign with six goals.

Another prominent player is Jefferson Farfan, who currently plays for Lokomotiv Moscow. It was his goal against New Zealand that helped Peru qualify. His club career has taken in spells in the Bundesliga, where he shone at Schalke 04. When he moved to Qatar’s Al Jazeera in 2015, it seemed that his career was coming to an end, and he was largely absent from the national team. However, Farfan’s transfer to Lokomotiv has given his career a second life. He is also not immune to scandal, however, and in 2010 the forward was detained by police in a child support dispute. Eventually, the conflict was settled out of court.

Among the younger generation of players, Watford winger Andre Carrillo is worth mentioning, as is Sao Paulo playmaker Christian Cueva and gifted 22-year-old defensive midfielder Renato Tapia, who has already won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord.

Coach

Ricardo Gareca is the architect behind Peru’s recent achievements. ‘El Tigre’ has managed the team since 2015, and it only took him a few months to win third place the Copa America. Two years later, Gareca helped his team qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1982.

Prior to managing Peru, Gareca worked mostly in Argentina, where he won three Primera Division titles with Velez Sarsfield. He also worked as a club coach in Peru, where he won the title with Universitario.

Ricardo’s career as a player was equally exciting. He never played outside Latin America but he featured alongside Diego Maradona at Boca Juniors. Later, Gareca infuriated Boca fans by signing with their bitter rivals River Plate. Gareca is also famous for the fact that he lost three Copa Libertadores finals.

Past Achievements

Peru featured at three World Cups in the 1970s and 1980s, and in each of those tournaments Peru’s greatest ever player, Teofilo Cubillas, played the central role. ‘The Incas’ have never been obvious underdogs at the World Cup and twice made it to the knockout stages (in 1978, it was partially replaced with a second group stage). In 1970, Peru lost 4-2 to Brazil in the quarter-finals; 21-year-old Cubillas scored five goals at the Finals, making him the tournament’s third top scorer and best young player.

Eight years later, Cubillas scored another five goals in Argentina, and ‘The Incas’ made it into the second group stage where they lost all three games with an aggregate score of 10-0.

Cubillas went to his third World Cup in 1982, when he was 33 years old, but by that time the team had faded. They drew two of their games and lost one, and returned home after the group stage. Immediately after the loss in the decisive match against Poland, Cubillas retired from international football.