Peru

Nickname(s)	La Blanquirroja (The White and Red) Los Incas (The Incas)
Association	Peruvian Football Federation
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	Vacant
Captain	Claudio Pizarro[1]
Most caps	Roberto Palacios (128)[2]
Top scorer	Teófilo Cubillas (26)[2]
Home stadium	Estadio Nacional
FIFA code	PER
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	39 5
Highest	19 (July 2013)
Lowest	91 (September 2009)
First international
Peru 0–4 Uruguay  (Lima, Peru; 1 November 1927)
Biggest win
Peru 9–1 Ecuador  (Bogotá, Colombia; 11 August 1938)
Biggest defeat
Brazil 7–0 Peru (Santa Cruz, Bolivia; 26 June 1997)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 1930)
Best result	Round 2, 1970 & 1978
Copa América
Appearances	34 (first in 1927)
Best result	Winners, 1939 and 1975
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2000)
Best result	Third (shared), 2000
Medal record Bolivarian Games 1938 Bogotá NA Copa Centenario de Armenia 1989 Armenia NA Kirin Cup 1999 Japan NA 2005 Japan NA 2011 Japan NA Marlboro Cup 1989 New York NA Nike United States Cup 1997 U.S. Cup NA

The Peru national football team has represented Peru in international football since 1927. Organised by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF),^[A] it is one of the 10 members of FIFA's South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). The Peruvian team's performance has been inconsistent; it enjoyed its most successful periods in the 1930s and 1970s.^[3] It plays home matches primarily at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, the country's capital, and is presently without a manager; the last incumbent was Uruguayan Sergio Markarián, who managed the team from 2010 from 2013.

The Peru national team has won the Copa América twice, qualified for four FIFA World Cup final tournaments, and participated in the 1936 Olympic football competition. It has longstanding rivalries with Chile and with Ecuador.^[4] The Peruvian team is well-known for its white shirts adorned with a red "sash" running from the left shoulder to the right hip—this basic design has been used continuously since 1936. The white and red colours, taken from the country's national flag, give rise to the team's common Spanish nickname, la Blanquirroja ("the white-and-red").^[5]

Peru took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 and enjoyed victories in the 1938 Bolivarian Games and the 1939 Copa América, when the team was led by players Teodoro Fernández, Juan Valdivieso, and Alejandro Villanueva.^[3] Peruvian football's successful period in the 1970s brought it worldwide recognition, with players such as Héctor Chumpitaz, Hugo Sotil, and Teófilo Cubillas.^[6] This team qualified for three World Cups and won the Copa América in 1975.

The Peruvian team last reached the World Cup finals in 1982; it has since failed to qualify, and has not won any major tournament. FIFA temporarily suspended the country from international competition in late 2008 during the Peruvian government's investigations into alleged corruption within the FPF. Peru came third at the 2011 Copa América, but failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

History

Association football was introduced to Peru in the 19th century by British immigrants and Peruvians returning from England.^[7] Members of the British community in the capital Lima founded the Lima Cricket Club, dedicated to cricket, rugby and football, in 1859.^[B][9][10] These new sports became popular among upper-class Peruvians over the following decades. After early developments were halted by the War of the Pacific against Chile from 1879 to 1883,^[11] coastal society in Peru embraced modern innovations such as football. The sport became a popular daily activity in Lima barrios, encouraged by bosses who hoped that it would breed solidarity and improved productivity among their workers.^[12] In the adjacent port of Callao and other commercial areas, British civilian workers and sailors played the sport among themselves and with locals.^[13][C] Sports rivalries between locals and foreigners arose in Callao, and between elites and workers in Lima. Over time, as foreigners departed, this evolved into a rivalry between Callao and Lima.^[7][15] These factors, coupled with the sport's rapid development among the urban poor of Lima's La Victoria district (where the Alianza Lima club was formed in 1901), led to Peru developing the strongest footballing culture in the Andean region.^[16]

The Peruvian Football League was formed in 1912 and held each year until it broke up in 1921 amid disputes between the member clubs.^[17] The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) was created the following year and, in 1926, it reorganised the annual league competition.^[18] The FPF joined the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) in 1925, and formed a national team in 1927—the delay was due to financial issues.^[19] The team debuted in the 1927 South American Championship, which the FPF hosted at the Estadio Nacional in Lima.^[13] Peru's first match was a 0–4 loss against Uruguay; their second was a 3–2 victory over Bolivia.^[20] Peru took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930.^[21]

The 1930s have been called Peruvian football's first golden era.^[3] Starting with Ciclista Lima in 1926, Peruvian clubs toured Latin America. During one of these tours—Alianza Lima's undefeated journey through Chile in 1935—a group of players emerged that became called the Rodillo Negro ("Black Roller"), led by forwards Alejandro Villanueva and Teodoro Fernández and goalkeeper Juan Valdivieso.^[22] Sports historian Richard Witzig described these three as "a soccer triumvirate unsurpassed in the world at that time", citing their combined innovation and effectiveness at both ends of the field.^[3] Peru and the Rodillo Negro awed crowds at the 1936 Summer Olympics, won the inaugural Bolivarian Games in 1938, and finished the decade as South American champions.^[23][24] Subsequent years proved less successful for the team; according to historian David Goldblatt, "despite all the apparent preconditions for footballing growth and success, Peruvian football disappeared".^[25] He attributes this sudden decline to Peruvian authorities' repression of "social, sporting and political organisations among the urban and rural poor" during the 1940s and 1950s.^[25] Peru generally performed creditably at the South American Championships during this period, however, and only narrowly missed qualification for the Sweden 1958 World Cup finals, losing over two legs to eventual champions Brazil.^[26]

A series of successes during the late 1960s, culminating with qualification for the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico, ushered in a second golden period for Peruvian football.^[3][27] The forward partnership between Teófilo Cubillas and Hugo Sotil has been cited as a key factor in Peru's success during the 1970s.^[28] Peru reached the quarter-finals in 1970, losing to the tournament winners Brazil, and earned the first FIFA Fair Play Trophy;^[29][30] the team was, Richard Henshaw writes, "the surprise of the 1970 competition, showing flair and a high level of skill".^[26] Five years later, Peru were crowned South American champions for the second time when they won the 1975 Copa América (as the South American Championship was renamed that year). The team then qualified for two consecutive World Cup tournaments: it reached the second round in Argentina 1978, and was knocked out in the first group stage at the 1982 tournament in Spain. Peru's early elimination in 1982 ended a period when the side's "flowing football was admired across the globe".^[31]

Following the team's failure to qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, renewed expectations for Peru were centered on a young generation of Alianza Lima players known colloquially as Los Potrillos ("The Colts").^[D] The team entered a hiatus, however, after the Alianza Lima air disaster of 8 December 1987, when a plane carrying most of Alianza's players and staff crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Only the pilot survived the crash; among the dead were the Peru manager, Marcos Calderón, and several Peru international players, including goalkeeper José González Ganoza and Luis Escobar, who was widely tipped as a future star forward.^[33] The team came last in both the 1990 and 1994 World Cup qualifiers, but had recovered slightly by the turn of the century. After earning fourth place at the 1997 Copa América, Peru missed qualification for the France 1998 World Cup only on goal difference.^[34] Peru later won the 1999 Kirin Cup held in Japan (sharing the title with Belgium) and placed third at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup,^[35][36] which it contested as an invited guest team. The team failed to qualify for the South Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006 World Cup finals, however.^[37]

Manuel Burga, who became president of the FPF in 2002, was blamed by many in Peru for what they saw as the national team's underperformance; he became very unpopular with the public.^[38] When the Peruvian government charged Burga with corruption in late 2008 and declared his re-election illegal, FIFA suspended the Peru national team and Football League, citing political interference.^[39] These sanctions were lifted in December 2008 after the Peruvian Institute of Sport (IPD) agreed to negotiate with the FPF, with IPD President Arturo Woodman avoiding direct communications with Burga.^[40][41] The following year, Peru missed qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and ended the year as CONMEBOL's lowest ranked team.^[42] Peru have since improved, however; the team came third at the 2011 Copa America, and reached its highest-ever position in the FIFA world rankings, 19th, in July 2013.^[43] It failed to qualify for the Brazil 2014 World Cup finals, however.^[44]

Colours

The Peru national football team plays in red and white, the country's national colours.^[45] Its first-choice kit has been, since 1936, white shirts, white shorts and white socks with a distinctive red "sash" crossing the shirt diagonally from the proper left shoulder to the right hip. This basic scheme has been only slightly altered over the years.^[5] It has won praise as one of world football's most attractive kit designs; Christopher Turpin, the executive producer of NPR's All Things Considered news show, lauded the 1970 iteration in 2010 as "the beautiful game's most beautiful shirt", also commenting that it "was retro even in 1970".^[46] The version worn in 1978 came first in a 2010 ESPN list of the "Best World Cup jerseys of all time", described as a "simple yet strikingly effective piece of design".^[47]

Peru's first kit, made for the 1927 South American Championship, comprised a white-and-red striped shirt, white shorts and black socks. According to sports historian Jaime Pulgar-Vidal Otálora, this kit and that worn by Alianza Lima at the time were influenced by the jockey uniforms used in Peruvian President Augusto B. Leguía's stables. The two outfits were identical except Alianza's had blue stripes instead of red. Pulgar-Vidal Otálora suggests that Leguía might have been directly involved in the 1927 uniform's design, citing the fact that different kits were adopted after his overthrow in 1932.^[48]

Peru were compelled to use an alternative design in the 1930 World Cup because Paraguay had already registered a kit with white-and-red striped shirts. The Peruvians instead wore white shirts with a red collar, white shorts and black socks.^[48] For the 1935 South American Championship, a horizontal red stripe was added to the shirt. The following year, at the Berlin Olympics, the team adopted the red sash design it has retained ever since.^[5] According to Pulgar-Vidal Otálora, the idea for the diagonal red stripe came from school football matches in which coloured sashes worn over the shoulder would allow two teams wearing white shirts to play against each other.^[49]

The Peru national team has had eight official kit manufacturers. The first of these, Adidas, began supplying the team's kit in 1978. Peru have since had contracts with Penalty (1981–82), Adidas (1983–85), Calvo Sportwear (1987), Power (1989–91), Diadora (1991–92), local manufacturer Polmer (1993–95), Umbro (1996–97), and Peruvian company Walon Sport (1998–2010).^[5] Umbro have produced the team's kit since 2010.^[50]

Stadium

The traditional home of Peruvian football is the country's national stadium, the Estadio Nacional in Lima, which houses 45,000 spectators.^[13] The present ground is the Estadio Nacional's third incarnation, the result of renovations conducted under the Alan García administration; it was officially inaugurated on 24 July 2011,^[52] 88 years to the day after the original ground opened on the same site in 1923.^[53]

The original Estadio Nacional was a wooden structure with a capacity of 6,000, donated by members of Lima's British community to celebrate the centenary of Peru's independence from Spain.^[53] Following a campaign for the ground's renovation, headed by Miguel Dasso, president of the Sociedad de Beneficencia de Lima,^[54] it was rebuilt with a larger capacity under General Manuel Odría and opened for the second time on 27 October 1952.^[55]

The Estadio Nacional has a natural bermudagrass pitch. It was, from 2005 to 2011,^[56] the only national stadium in CONMEBOL to have artificial turf, installed for the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The stadium was during this period one of Peru's four "FIFA Star II" grounds, the highest certification granted to artificial pitches, but the synthetic turf was blamed for players' injuries, such as burns and bruises.^[57] Regular grass was reinstalled as part of the redevelopments completed in 2011.^[56]

A distinctive feature of the ground is the Miguel Dasso Tower on its northern side, which contains luxury boxes; it was most recently renovated in 2004.^[54] The 2011 improvements included the construction of an exterior covered by thousands of plaques made from a zinc aluminium alloy, and another tower on the southern side with a restaurant inside.^[58] A multicoloured illumination system was also added inside the ground, as well as two giant LED screens and 375 private suites.^[51]

Peru sometimes home matches at other venues. Outside the desert-like coast region of Lima, the thin atmosphere at the high-altitude Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega in Cusco and the balmy Amazonic climate of the Estadio Max Augustín in Iquitos have been described as providing strategic advantages for Peru against certain visiting teams.^[59][60] Other common alternate venues for the national team include two other grounds in the Peruvian capital, Alianza's Estadio Alejandro Villanueva and Universitario's Estadio Monumental "U".^[61][62]

Supporters

Football has been the most popular sport in Peru since the early 20th century.^[64] The sport was originally largely exclusive to Lima's Anglophile elite and expatriates, and secluded from the rest of the city,^[65] but it became an integral part of wider popular culture during the 1900s and 1910s. Augusto B. Leguía's government institutionalised the sport into a national pastime over the following decades by promoting and organising its development.^[66]

Peruvian football fans are known for their distinctive chant ¡Arriba Perú! ("Come on Peru!"),^[67] as well as for their use of traditional Peruvian música criolla to express support, both at national team games and at club matches. Música criolla attained national and international recognition with the advent of mass media during the 1930s, becoming a widely recognised symbol of Peru and its culture.^[68] The national team's most popular anthem is Peru Campeón, a polca criolla (Peruvian polka) glorifying Peru's qualification for the Mexico 1970 World Cup.^[68][69]

Peruvian supporters are infamously known for the Estadio Nacional disaster, which is often cited as one of the worst tragedies in football history.^[70] On May 24, 1964, during a 1964 Summer Olympics qualifying match between Peru's under-20 team and its counterpart from Argentina, trouble was sparked when the Uruguayan referee Angel Payos disallowed a would-be Peruvian equaliser, alleging rough play. Two spectators invaded the pitch and attacked the referee while a "fusillade of objects" were thrown from the stands. Police threw tear gas into the crowd, which caused a stampede; trying to escape, fans were crushed against the stadium's locked gates. A total of 315 people were killed in the chaos, with more than 500 others injured.^[71]

Rivalries

The Peru football team maintains prominent rivalries with its counterparts from neighboring Chile and Ecuador. The Peruvians have a favorable record against Ecuador and a negative record against Chile.^[72][73] Both of these rivalries date back to the 1939 South American Championship in Lima, when Peru first faced Ecuador and Chile in an official tournament; Peru won both games.^[74] Peru's first FIFA World Cup matches against its two rivals were played during qualifying for the Argentina 1978 World Cup; Peru defeated both Ecuador and Chile over two legs, directly eliminating them both.^[72][73]

The rivalry between Chile and Peru is popularly known as the Clásico del Pacífico (Pacific Derby).^[4] CNN World Sport editor Greg Duke ranks it among the top ten football rivalries in the world.^[75] Chile and Peru also traditionally vie for the rank of fourth-best national team in South America (behind Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay); however, unlike Peru, the Chilean team has never won a major international competition.^[76] Both nations furthermore claim to have invented the bicycle kick; Peruvians call it the chalaca, and it is the chilena in Chile.^[77]

Historical border conflicts are behind the football rivalry between Ecuador and Peru. In 1995, after the Cenepa War, CONMEBOL even contemplated altering that year's Copa América group stage to prevent a match between the two sides.^[78] Ecuadorian fans consider "losses to Colombia or Peru [as] an excuse to lament Ecuador's inability to establish itself as an international soccer power".^[79] During the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador's captain Walter Ayoví declared that "these matches have always had something additional, a thorough rivalry. We are going to play for the pride of representing the country, its colours, because these games have always been a kind of derby".^[80]

Competitive records

FIFA World Cup

Peru has participated in 14 World Cup qualifiers and 4 World Cup finals. In the qualifiers, the squad has a record of 35 wins, 30 draws, and 59 losses, with 130 goals in favor and 174 against. In the finals, the team holds a record of 4 wins, 3 draws, and 8 losses, with 19 goals in favor and 31 against.^[20] During the 1930 competition, a Peruvian became the first player sent off in a World Cup.^[E] Luis de Souza Ferreira scored Peru's first tournament goal on July 14, 1930, in a match against Romania.^[83] Teófilo Cubillas is the team's top World Cup scorer with 10 goals in 13 games.^[84]

FIFA World Cup											Qualification
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Squad		Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	F	A
1930	Uruguay	Group stage	2	0	0	2	1	4	Squad		Qualified as invitees
1934	Italy	Withdrew									Withdrew
1938	France	Did not enter									Did not enter
1950 to 1954		Withdrew									Withdrew
1958	Sweden	Did not qualify									2nd	2	0	1	1	1	2
1962	Chile										2nd	2	0	1	1	1	2
1966	England										2nd	4	2	0	2	8	6
1970	Mexico	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	9	9	Squad		1st	4	2	1	1	7	4
1974	West Germany	Did not qualify									Play-off	3	1	0	2	3	4
1978	Argentina	Quarter-finals	6	2	1	3	7	12	Squad		2nd	6	3	2	1	13	3
1982	Spain	Group stage	3	0	2	1	2	6	Squad		1st	4	2	2	0	5	2
1986	Mexico	Did not qualify									Play-offs	8	3	2	3	10	9
1990	Italy										3rd	4	0	0	4	2	8
1994	United States										4th	6	0	1	5	4	12
1998	France										5th	16	7	4	5	19	20
2002	South Korea  Japan										8th	18	4	4	10	14	25
2006	Germany										9th	18	4	6	8	20	28
2010	South Africa										10th	18	3	4	11	11	34
2014	Brazil										7th	16	4	3	9	17	26
2018	Russia	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	2	Squad		Play-off	20	8	6	6	29	26
2022	Qatar	Did not qualify									Play-off	19	7	4	8	19	22
2026	Canada  Mexico  United States	To be determined									In progress	6	0	2	4	1	8
2030	Morocco  Portugal  Spain										To be determined
2034	Saudi Arabia
Total		Quarter-finals	18	5	3	10	21	33	—		5/22	174	50	43	81	184	241

Copa América

Peru has participated in 31 Copa América tournaments (the first in 1927), played as hosts six times (1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004), and won it twice (1939 and 1975). The team has a record of 49 victories, 32 draws, and 55 losses, with 199 goals in favor and 222 against.^[20] Demetrio Neyra scored Peru's first tournament goal on November 13, 1927, in a match against Bolivia.^[48] The team boasts three top scorers—Teodoro Fernández (7 goals, 1939), Eduardo Malásquez (3 goals, 1983), and Paolo Guerrero (5 goals, 2011),^[85] three hat-trick scorers—Teodoro Fernández (1939 and 1941), Miguel Loayza (1959), and Paolo Guerrero (2011),^[86] and two "Best Player" recipients—Teodoro Fernández (1939) and Teófilo Cubillas (1975).^[87]

The Peruvian team's first continental title was achieved in the 1939 South American Championship, after a string of undefeated victories against Ecuador (5–2), Chile (3–1), Paraguay (3–0), and Uruguay (2–1). Peru had 13 goals in favor and 4 against. It became the fourth nation to win the South American championship, after Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, and the first team from western South America to obtain the title.^[88]

The national side won its second continental title in the 1975 Copa América, the first time the tournament was played by all ten CONMEBOL members and the first time the competition was held without a fixed venue.^[89] Peru ended the first stage as leader of Group 2, eliminating Chile and Bolivia. In the semifinals, Peru defeated Brazil (1–3) in Belo Horizonte but lost in Lima (0–2), forcing a CONMEBOL-sponsored "choice of card" which determined Peru the winner. In the two-legged final between Colombia and Peru, both teams won their respective home games (1–0 in Bogota and 2–0 in Lima), forcing a play-off in Caracas which the Peruvians won by a goal.^[90]

Template:Peru Copa América record

Olympic Games

Peru's senior side participated in one Olympic football tournament: the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. The squad had a record of two victories, scoring eleven goals and conceding five.^[20] Teodoro Fernández scored Peru's first tournament goal on August 6, 1936, in a match against Finland. Fernández is also the team's top scorer, with a total of six goals in two games, and Peru's only hat-trick scorer at the Olympics.^[92]

Qualification for the tournament was determined at the 1935 South American Championship held in Lima. Uruguay won with an undefeated run and Argentina earned second place; nevertheless, both sides declined to participate in the Olympics because of economic problems. Peru, which placed third after defeating Chile, thus became South America's representative.^[3][93]

The Peruvian players were subsequently selected from Alianza Lima's Rodillo Negro (which had an undefeated tour in Chile in late 1935), reinforced from the starting eleven of Sport Boys (winners of the 1935 Peruvian Primera División) and Universitario de Deportes.^[94] In Berlin, Peru began the competition by eliminating Finland (7–3), with goals from Teodoro Fernández and Alejandro Villanueva.^[92] In the quarterfinals, Peru faced Austria, then popularly known as the Wunderteam, managed by Jimmy Hogan.^[F] The game ended with a 2–2 draw in regular time, but Peru scored twice and won the match (4–2) in extra time.^[98] Peru would have faced Poland in the semifinals, but decisions outside the field of play led to its withdrawal from the competition.^[G]

Players

Current squad

The following players were named for the unofficial friendly match against Basque Country on December 28, 2013.^[102] Caps and goals updated as of December 28, 2013.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Érick Delgado	(1982-06-30) 30 June 1982 (age 41)	14	0	Juan Aurich
	1GK	Diego Penny	(1984-04-22) 22 April 1984 (age 40)	14	0	Sporting Cristal
	2DF	Walter Vílchez	(1982-02-20) 20 February 1982 (age 42)	64	1	UTC
	2DF	Alberto Rodríguez	(1984-03-31) 31 March 1984 (age 40)	49	0	Rio Ave
	2DF	Yoshimar Yotún	(1990-04-07) 7 April 1990 (age 34)	30	1	Sporting Cristal
	2DF	Luis Advíncula	(1990-03-02) 2 March 1990 (age 34)	30	0	Sporting Cristal
	2DF	Christian Ramos	(1988-11-04) 4 November 1988 (age 35)	12	0	Juan Aurich
	2DF	Jhoel Herrera	(1980-07-09) 9 July 1980 (age 43)	9	0	Real Garcilaso
	2DF	Koichi Aparicio	(1993-07-06) 6 July 1993 (age 30)	1	0	Alianza Lima
	2DF	Jair Céspedes	(1984-03-22) 22 March 1984 (age 40)	1	0	Juan Aurich
	2DF	Gianmarco Gambetta	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 33)	1	0	Argentinos Juniors
	3MF	Rinaldo Cruzado	(1984-09-21) 21 September 1984 (age 39)	31	2	Nacional
	3MF	Juan Carlos Mariño	(1982-08-19) 19 August 1982 (age 41)	23	3	Juan Aurich
	3MF	Adán Balbín	(1986-10-13) 13 October 1986 (age 37)	10	0	Universidad San Martín
	3MF	Edwin Retamoso	(1982-02-23) 23 February 1982 (age 42)	9	0	Real Garcilaso
	3MF	Álvaro Ampuero	(1992-09-25) 25 September 1992 (age 31)	8	0	Salernitana
	3MF	Cristian Benavente	(1994-05-19) 19 May 1994 (age 30)	4	1	Real Madrid Castilla
	3MF	Roberto Merino	(1982-05-19) 19 May 1982 (age 42)	1	0	Juan Aurich
	3MF	Óscar Vílchez	(1986-02-24) 24 February 1986 (age 38)	1	0	Juan Aurich
	3MF	Jorge Bazán	(1991-03-23) 23 March 1991 (age 33)	0	0	Alianza Lima
	4FW	Johan Fano	(1978-08-09) 9 August 1978 (age 45)	17	3	León de Huánuco
	4FW	Daniel Chávez	(1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 36)	13	0	Universidad César Vallejo

Recent callups

The following players have been called to Peru's national team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Salomón Libman	(1984-02-25) 25 February 1984 (age 40)	6	0	Universidad César Vallejo	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
GK	José Carvallo	(1986-03-01) 1 March 1986 (age 38)	4	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
GK	Raúl Fernández	(1985-10-06) 6 October 1985 (age 38)	27	0	Dallas	v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2013
DF	Santiago Acasiete	(1977-10-22) 22 October 1977 (age 46)	44	2	Cienciano	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
DF	Carlos Zambrano	(1989-07-10) 10 July 1989 (age 34)	26	3	Eintracht Frankfurt	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
DF	Néstor Duarte	(1990-09-08) 8 September 1990 (age 33)	6	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
DF	Diego Chávez	(1993-03-07) 7 March 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
DF	Orlando Contreras	(1982-06-01) 1 June 1982 (age 42)	7	1	Universidad César Vallejo	v.  Argentina, 11 October 2013
DF	Edwuin Gómez	(1993-03-04) 4 March 1993 (age 31)	4	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Argentina, 11 October 2013
DF	Aurelio Saco Vértiz	(1989-05-30) 30 May 1989 (age 35)	0	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Argentina, 11 October 2013
DF	Jesús Álvarez INJ	(1981-08-26) 26 August 1981 (age 42)	4	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2013
DF	Alexander Callens	(1992-05-04) 4 May 1992 (age 32)	2	0	Real Sociedad B	v.  Panama, 1 June 2013
MF	Juan Manuel Vargas	(1983-10-05) 5 October 1983 (age 40)	48	4	Fiorentina	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
MF	Carlos Lobatón	(1980-02-06) 6 February 1980 (age 44)	32	1	Sporting Cristal	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
MF	Luis Ramírez	(1984-11-10) 10 November 1984 (age 39)	31	2	Corinthians	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
MF	Josepmir Ballón	(1988-03-21) 21 March 1988 (age 36)	25	0	Universidad San Martín	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
MF	Paolo Hurtado	(1990-07-27) 27 July 1990 (age 33)	11	2	Peñarol	v.  Argentina, 11 October 2013
MF	Jefferson Farfán INJ	(1984-10-26) 26 October 1984 (age 39)	63	17	Schalke 04	v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2013
MF	Edison Flores	(1994-05-15) 15 May 1994 (age 30)	1	0	Villarreal B	v.  South Korea, 15 August 2013
MF	Michael Guevara	(1984-06-10) 10 June 1984 (age 40)	15	0	UTC	v.  Mexico, 17 April 2013
FW	Claudio Pizarro	(1978-10-03) 3 October 1978 (age 45)	74	19	Bayern Munich	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
FW	André Carrillo	(1991-06-14) 14 June 1991 (age 33)	14	1	Sporting	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
FW	Irven Ávila	(1990-07-02) 2 July 1990 (age 33)	9	0	Sporting Cristal	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
FW	Yordy Reyna	(1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 (age 30)	6	2	Red Bull Salzburg	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
FW	José Carlos Fernández	(1983-05-14) 14 May 1983 (age 41)	6	2	Argentinos Juniors	v.  Bolivia, 15 October 2013
FW	Paolo Guerrero INJ	(1984-01-01) 1 January 1984 (age 40)	49	19	Corinthians	v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2013
FW	Raúl Ruidíaz INJ	(1990-07-25) 25 July 1990 (age 33)	8	0	Universitario de Deportes	v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2013
FW	Reimond Manco	(1990-08-23) 23 August 1990 (age 33)	6	0	UTC	v.  South Korea, 15 August 2013

• ^INJ Withdrew because of injury
• ^WD Withdrew for personal reasons

Notable players

CONMEBOL has described Peru as traditionally exhibiting an "elegant, technical and fine football style" and praised it as "one of the most loyal exponents of South American football talent".^[103] Teófilo Cubillas, an attacking midfielder and forward popularly known as El Nene ("The Kid"), is widely regarded as Peru's greatest ever player.^[104]

Peru's first football idols were Teodoro Fernández, Alejandro Villanueva, and Juan Valdivieso.^[105] Fernández was the team's forward and primary goalscorer. His partner in attack, Villanueva, was a gifted playmaker. Valdivieso was a goalkeeper known for exceptional athleticism who had reputation for often saving penalties.^[106]

Other notable players, described by CONMEBOL as "true artists of the ball", include forwards Pedro Pablo León and Hugo Sotil, defender Héctor Chumpitaz, and midfielders Roberto Challe, César Cueto, and Roberto Palacios.^[103] Argentine sports magazine El Gráfico described Cueto, Cubillas, and José Velásquez as "the best [midfield] in the world" in 1978.^[107] Historian Richard Witzig lists Chumpitaz among the "Best Players of the Modern Era" and praises him as "a strong reader of the game with excellent ball skills and distribution, [who] marshalled a capable defence to support Peru's attack".^[108]

In 1972, a commemorative match between a Europe XI and a South America XI was organised in Basel, Switzerland for the benefit of homeless children. Cubillas, Chumpitaz, Sotil, and Julio Baylón played in the South American team, which won the game 2–0; Cubillas scored the first goal.^[109] A similar match was held the next year at Barcelona's Nou Camp with the declared intent of fighting global poverty; Cubillas, Chumpitaz and Sotil once again played, with Chumpitaz named South America's captain. Each of the Peruvians scored in a 4–4 draw, which South America won 7–6 on penalties.^[110]

Managers

Peru's first two managers were from Uruguay. The first, Pedro Olivieri, was chosen to manage Peru in the 1927 South American Championship because of his prior experience managing the Uruguay national football team. The second, Julio Borelli, spent a few years as a referee in Peru (even arbitrating the first Peruvian Clásico, the derby between Alianza Lima and Universitario) prior to becoming Peru's managers in the 1929 South American Championship.^[112]

The Peruvians' third manager was Francisco Bru, a former Barcelona player who had been the first manager of the Spain national team.^[113] Other managers that have led Peru in the World Cup include Brazilian Valdir Pereira (appointed for Mexico 1970),^[26] Peruvian Marcos Calderón (appointed for Argentina 1978), and Brazilian Elba de Pádua Lima (appointed for Spain 1982).^[84]

Owing to their records and achievements, Marcos Calderón and Englishman Jack Greenwell are considered by sports analysts and historians as the best managers of the Peru national football team. Greenwell led Peru through an undefeated eight-game run, winning the 1938 Bolivarian Games and the 1939 South American Championship in the process. Calderón led Peru to glory at the 1975 Copa América and qualified the national side to the 1978 FIFA World Cup.^[113][114]

Other tournament-winning managers include Peruvians Juan Carlos Oblitas and Freddy Ternero, and Uruguayan Sergio Markarián, each having led Peru to victory in the Kirin Cup competition in 1999, 2005, and 2011, respectively.^[115]

Fixtures and records

Since 1927, Peru has played 545 matches, including friendlies,^[20] and has a positive record against national teams from the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and Central America.^[116] Peru's biggest win, a 9–1 victory against Ecuador, took place on August 11, 1938, at the Bolivarian Games held in Colombia. The team's biggest defeat, a 7–0 loss to Brazil, occurred on June 26, 1997, at the Copa América held in Bolivia.^[20] Peru was the first recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Trophy, awarded in the 1970 World Cup, for being the only team that received no yellow or red cards.^[29]

Roberto Palacios has the most appearances with the national team, having played 122 times between 1992 and 2007. Héctor Chumpitaz, with 105 appearances, is second, and Jorge Soto, with 101 appearances, is third. For goalkeepers, Oscar Ibañez holds the most appearances with 50 caps, followed by Miguel Miranda (47 caps) and Ramón Quiroga (40 caps).^[2] Teófilo Cubillas is the team's top goalscorer with 26 goals in 81 appearances. Teodoro Fernández is second, but he holds a higher goal per appearance average with 24 goals in 32 appearances. In third place is Nolberto Solano, who has 20 goals in 89 appearances.^[2] Claudio Pizarro scored Peru's fastest goal during a match against Mexico on August 20, 2003; he also scored the second fastest goal and Luis Ramírez the third.^[117]

See also

• Peru national football team indiscipline scandals
• Peru women's national football team
• Peru national under-17 football team
• Peru national under-20 football team
• Peru national beach soccer team
• Peru national futsal team
• Peruvian Primera División
• Sport in Peru

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

• Peru FA
• FIFA team profile
• ELO team records

Achievements
Preceded by Inaugural Champions	Bolivarian Champions 1938 (First title)	Succeeded by U-20 Peru
Preceded by 1937 Argentina	South American Champions 1939 (First title)	Succeeded by 1941 Argentina
Preceded by 1967 Uruguay	South American Champions 1975 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1979 Paraguay
Preceded by 1998 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 1999 (First title, shared)	Succeeded by 2000 Slovakia
Preceded by 2004 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 2005 (Second title, shared)	Succeeded by 2006 Scotland
Preceded by 2009 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 2011 (Third title, shared)	Succeeded by Current holders