Christian Cueva, with huachas and three fingers, the 10 that plays like in the 70s

christian cave he is capable of fighting the bravest Gustavo Gómez. A feint, a pass or simply putting on his 1.70 and supporting the weight of the shirt. It is that the Peruvian 10 continues to be that player who best represents the Bicolor and its history, that mischievous game that fell in love with the world, the talent that makes them look at us, the daring that always drives us.

It’s not ‘Cholo’ Sotil or Cubillas’ goals. Nor the art of Challe or the power of Perico. But Cueva is a player from the 70s. He steps on her, dominates her, touches her softly. He makes it seem at times that football is played in slow motion, where only his ability to think about the play is really fast.

Because the 100 meters of the Monumental were seen with the slab of the neighborhood where we grew up. He steps on it like on the street track where we bothered the neighbors, he faces it like in the old grassless park around the house. The ball at 10 dictates a maxim in soccer. The ball to Cueva translates into the Peruvian team.

The national team is still that team that sells Guerrero and Lapadula shirts -the 9 commands behind the backs of the fans-, but deep down they all want to be like Cueva, have fun like him. More than 20,000 fans applauded him, millions play at being him.

“With Cueva it’s something else,” says a child who seems to understand a lot about the game, “Give it to Cueva, give it to Cueva,” shouts the lady with the selfies. It was the night of ‘Aladdin’, who, without much magic, only with his football returned to being the 10 that we love so much.

The game

The ability to face between two men, to make a huacha with a little footstep included, to put a long pass with three fingers. Cueva is the owner of soccer, it is Cueva and the mischief of national soccer. It’s the one that makes the fans stand up.

And Aquino and Cartagena understand it well. Canchita and López look for him, Valera and Succar approach him. Juan Reynoso applauds him. Cueva is the different one in the selection -and there are no signs of someone reaching him-. Today the selection is the head of Reynoso, the lung of Aquino but above all the talent of Cueva.

He entered the second half to make forget the first. Reynoso experimented with José Rivera on the right and it did not work out for him, he repeated with Bryan Reyna and complied, he bet on Carlos Ascues and responded and apparently wants to consolidate the Aquino-Cartagena duo, a double 6 figure that is repeated in the eleven.

But Cueva’s presence made everything change. Three successful dribbles, he won 7 of 11 splits and had a 72% passing accuracy rate. Figures to be the figure of the match with only 45 minutes. Figures to warm up the rivals and generate anger from the rivals -there were up to two brawls in the match-.

We have enjoyed a great Cave in 2016-17, in years in which it was not in the world. Today, based in Saudi Arabia, it seems that we have an improved version.

It is that in the Monumental de la U they gave an ovation to the player who a few days ago was celebrating in Matute. It is the Bicolor unites colors and feelings. And Cueva transforms them into feints and goal passes. In huachas and tacos. In the game he identifies us.

.