Despite the Club World Cup being a tournament far removed from the reality of Peruvian football, some compatriots have managed to lift the trophy with their respective clubs. do you remember her
He Club World Cup 2022 It began on February 1, 2023 with the match between Al-Ahly of Egypt and Auckland City of Australia. After this first round, in Peru The participation of André Carrillo and Raúl Ruidíaz, the two players of the Peruvian team who will make their debut in the quarterfinals of the competition, is awaited with great expectations. Although it will be very difficult, it is a new chance to have more Peruvians who have ever won the Club World Cup.
Peruvian soccer players’ titles abroad are not commonplace and as this is a very short tournament both Carrillo and Ruidíaz are three games away from another title. Throughout history, only three internationals have been able to lift the Club World Cup trophy: two with a Brazilian team, the other with a German team.
Martín Hidalgo (Inter de Porto Alegre, Club World Cup 2006)
The first Peruvian in history to win a Club World Cup was Martín Hidalgo, a national team left-back who had a long career with foreign clubs. His most significant step was the one he made for Inter de Porto Alegre, the team that won the Copa Libertadores in 2006, to which he joined from Libertad de Paraguay. Without attracting too much attention, he was a regular starter at the Brasileirao, where he finished second.
Hidalgo arrived in Brazil mid-year and was part of the squad signed up for December’s Club World Cup. The Peruvian started the first game against Egypt’s Al-Ahly, where Inter won 2-1 with goals from Alexandre Pato and Luiz Adriano. Unfortunately, our compatriot missed the final against Ronaldinho’s Barcelona due to a tear. The Brazilians won 1-0 through a goal by Adriano Gabiru.
Martín Hidalgo was the first Peruvian soccer player to win a Club World Cup. Photo: FIFA
Paolo Guerrero (Corinthians, 2012 Club World Cup)
After many years in Germany, Paolo Guerrero joined Corinthians in mid-2012, a signing that marked the beginning of his illustrious career in Brazilian football. ‘Timao’ had just won the first Copa Libertadores in his history and in the same year had a chance to win his second title at the Club World Cup. When fit, Guerrero was always considered a regular on offense.
The Peruvian striker started action in the semi-final match against Al-Ahly, a rival who dominated much of the action. The Brazilians persevered and won 1-0 through a goal from Paolo and reached the final against Chelsea. The process was similar to the duel against the Egyptians and was again decided with a goal from “Predator”. It was Guerrero’s first major success at Corinthians, where he had already performed well.
Claudio Pizarro (Bayern Munich, Club World Cup 2013)
The last Peruvian to win and compete in a Club World Cup final was Claudio Pizarro. The “Bomber” clinched the title during his second spell at Bayern Munich in 2013, where he mainly acted as a substitute. Despite this, the former national team captain had a good average of goals and assists for the number of minutes played and stayed for three seasons before returning to Werder Bremen.
Claudio Pizarro came on as a substitute in both Bayern games at the 2013 Club World Cup, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Mario Mandžukić in the 3-0 win against China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-finals and left on the bench in the 2-0 win against Raja Casablanca from Morocco, who determined the title. It was the third international title that the Peruvian won with his team this year.
Claudio Pizarro won the Club World Cup on his return to Bayern Munich. Photo: FIFA