Teófilo Cubillas

Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (Spanish pronunciation: [teˈofilo kuˈβiʎas]; born 8 March 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50.[1] He was renowned for his technique, shooting ability and free kick ability.[2]

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

Teófilo Cubillas
Cubillas with Team Peru
Personal information
Full name Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga
Date of birth (1949-03-08) 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 (26)
Managerial career
1988 Alianza Lima
Medal record
Men’s football
Representing  Peru
Copa América
Winner1975
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nicknamed El Nene (The Kid), he was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América.[3] He helped Peru reach the quarter finals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup[4] and again at the 1978 World Cup[5] and was elected the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972.

In 2004, Pelé selected Cubillas as one of the FIFA 100, a list of 125 footballing greats.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Club career

Nicknamed "Nene" (the babe) for his boyish looks, Cubillas began his career with Alianza Lima at the age of 16 in 1966.[9] Whilst at Alianza he was top scorer in the Peruvian Primera División in 1966 and 1970.[10]

In 1972, he had his most successful season in several years. He was Libertadores Cup top scorer and South American Footballer of the Year.[11]

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.[12][13] After playing in four Cup of the Alps games, Cubillas played his domestic league debut for his new 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.[14] 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.[15] He only remained at the club for six months, which was not long enough for him to show the extent of his talent. In these six months Cubillas played a total of 21 games for Basel scoring a total of eight goals.10 of these games were in the Nationalliga A, two in the Swiss Cup, four in the European Cup, four in the Cup of the Alps and one was a friendly game. He scored three goals in the league, two in the domestic cup, two in the European Cup and the other one was scored in the Cup of the Alps.[16]

Later on, for the second half of the 1973–74 season he joined Portuguese club FC Porto for a fee of £200,000.[13] In 1977, he returned to Alianza Lima.[16]

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.[17]

Following the December 1987 Alianza Lima air crash Cubillas returned from his Miami home to play for free for Alianza, who lost most of their players in the crash.[18] He also managed the club for a period in 1988.[19]

In May 1988 Cubillas signed with the newly resurrected Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Soccer League.[20] The Strikers went to the ASL title game where they fell to the Washington Diplomats.[21] Following the loss to the Diplomats, the Strikers released Cubillas.[22]

In March 1989, he signed with the Miami Sharks but was released on 3 July after scoring only one goal in eight games.[23] As of June 1991 he was playing and coaching at Miramar Illusiones of the Gold Coast Soccer League in Florida.[24]

International career

Cubillas played in three World Cups between 1970 and 1982.[25]

1970 World Cup
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.[4]

He won the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award, and was third in the Golden Shoe award.[26]

1975 Copa America

The Peru national team did not qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, 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, and then played in the play-off match in the final.[3]

1978 World Cup

In the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, Cubillas scored five goals for Peru, finishing co-second highest goal scorer after Mario Kempes. Peru advanced to the second phase of the tournament thanks to goals from Cubillas: he scored two goals in the opening match against Scotland (one of which was an excellent free-kick),[27] and he then scored a hat-trick in the game against Iran, including two penalties.[5]

However, Peru subsequently lost to Brazil, Poland and Argentina, although Cubillas played in all six Peru matches in the tournament.

1982 World Cup

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.[25]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alianza Lima 1966 Peruvian Primera División[28] 2319[10]–
1967 259––
1968 2619––
1969 115––
1970 2722[10]––
1971 2922––
1972 2914–
Total 17011000
FC Basel 1973–74 Swiss Super League[28]1032[29]
Porto 1973–74 Primeira Liga[28] 12431-155
1974–75 30964424015
1975–76 292844543836
1976–77 14732211910
Total 8548131010710865
Alianza Lima 1977 Peruvian Primera División[28] 3223–––3223
1978 1512––1072519
Total 4735001075742
Fort Lauderdale Strikers[30] 1979 NASL[lower-alpha 1] 3016—––—3216
1980 3418––––3418
1981 3419––––3419
1982 184––––184
1983 238––––238
Total 13965000013965
Alianza Lima 1984 Peruvian Primera División 44––––44
South Florida Sun 1984[31] USL 54–––54
1985 21–21
Total 75000075
Alianza Lima 1987 Peruvian Primera División 133133
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1988[32] ASL 127––––127
Career total 48828015123122534314
  1. Total statistics for his time in the NASL (1979–83) include playoff matches.

International
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[33]
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 5 April 1972 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 1–1 1–2 Friendly
14 23 April 1972 Bucharest, Romania  Romania 1–1 2–2 Friendly
15 4 March 1973 Lima, Peru  Guatemala 2–0 5–1 Friendly
16 4–1
17 23 April 1973 Lima, Peru  Panama 3–0 4–0 Friendly
18 20 August 1975 Lima, Peru  Chile 2–0 3–1 Copa America 1975
19 30 September 1975 Belo Horizonte, Brasil  Brazil 2–0 3–1 Copa America 1975
20 17 July 1977 Cali, Colombia  Bolivia 2–0 5–0 1978 World Cup qualifier
21 3–0
22 3 June 1978 Córdoba, Argentina  Scotland 2–1 3–1 1978 World Cup
23 3–1
24 11 June 1978 Córdoba, Argentina  Iran 2–0 4–1 1978 World Cup
25 3–0
26 4–1

Honours

Porto

Alianza Lima

Fort Lauderdale Sun

Peru

Individual

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