Words and Photos: Ted Delahoy
My name is Ted Delahoy. I’m a photographer and football fanatic. A couple of years ago, I wrote a series for Glory documenting all things football across Asia. Now I’m back, this time uncovering football culture across South America. Asia was fantastic, with some genuinely interesting stories to find, but it’s immediately clear this trip will be different. South America is a football-obsessed continent — I think I’ll fit right in.
First stop, Peru.
Be honest: what do you know about Peruvian football? Apart from Nobby Solano?
Don’t worry, I knew very little myself before I arrived, but that’s exactly what made me excited to find out more. The first thing that strikes you is the history. Liga 1, the Peruvian top flight, was founded in 1912 and runs on a format all its own — two mini-leagues throughout the season, with the winners meeting in a playoff to decide the champion.
Football arrived in Peru in the 19th century, brought by British immigrants and by young Peruvians returning from studies in England. That might explain why several of today’s top-flight clubs were originally founded by groups of students. One such club is Cienciano, among the country's oldest professional clubs, founded in 1901 by students of the National School of Science. Based in Cusco, their home ground, Estadio Garcilaso, sits nestled in the centre of the sprawling ancient city — a stunning setting for football.
Travelling around Peru really brings home just how inhospitable the terrain is for the game. Valleys, volcanoes, and jungle aren’t exactly ideal places to lay a flat football pitch — and yet, despite the geography, pitches are everywhere. I couldn’t quite believe it after several hours deep into the Amazon rainforest, when I stumbled on a small clearing with a set of goals standing in it. Just watch out for snakes when you’re fetching the ball back.
The love for the game here is obvious. And yet, despite a population far larger than, say, Uruguay’s, Peru has produced far fewer big-name players on the world stage. Some of that comes down to Peru being a poorer country than its neighbours, and to the lack of a developed pathway for young talent, of the kind Brazil or Argentina have built. There have been exceptions — Nobby Solano, already mentioned, and Claudio Pizarro, an impressive goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 197 goals to his name.
Peru’s greatest player, though, is remembered in Europe for his time at Porto and for a stunning free-kick against Scotland at the 1978 World Cup (sorry, Scotland fans). Teófilo Cubillas is an icon at home, and recognised across South America as one of the continent’s finest. He’s best known for his World Cup form — 10 goals in 13 games — and he and Messi remain the only South Americans to have scored five or more goals across two different World Cups.
Since Cubillas was at the height of his powers in the ’70s, Peru has never quite hit those heights again. After a 36-year absence, the country qualified for Russia 2018, only to exit at the group stage. While other South American nations have made their mark on world football, Peru has faced problem after problem — the country was even banned from international competition in 2008 while the government investigated alleged corruption within the football federation.
I hope the future is brighter. That’s what a football-obsessed population like this deserves. With greater focus and investment in youth development, the next Teófilo Cubillas might just be out there, waiting to be found.