Héctor Cuéllar
Héctor Manuel Cuéllar Rosales (born 16 August 2000) is a Bolivian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Club Always Ready and the Bolivia national football team.
Club career[edit]
Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cuéllar began his career at F.C. Universitario de Vinto. He made his debut in the Bolivian Primera División on 2 April 2022, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–2 home draw with Club Independiente Petrolero. He made 41 top-flight appearances and scored once for the club, equalising with a penalty in a 1–1 draw with the same opponents also at the Estadio Félix Capriles.[1]
In June 2023, Cuéllar transferred to Club Always Ready halfway through the season, in a deal involving the trade of another player.[2] On his debut on 25 June, he scored the first goal of a 2–0 home win over Club Blooming;[3] in his next game on 9 July he scored from 35 metres in a 3–1 comeback win over Club Aurora at the Estadio Municipal de El Alto.[4]
On his continental debut on 21 February 2024, Cuéllar scored in a 6–1 home win over Peru's Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores. After Always Ready were eliminated and dropped into the Copa Sudamericana, he netted in a 2–0 group stage win against Club Deportivo Universidad César Vallejo visiting from the same country,[5] as well as a 3–0 win in the next game against Argentina's Defensa y Justicia.[6]
International career[edit]
Cuéllar made his debut for the Bolivia national football team on 27 August 2023 in a 2–1 friendly loss to Panama in Cochabamba. He played the first 64 minutes before being replaced by Julio Herrera.[7][8] On 8 September, he made his competitive bow in a 5–1 loss away to Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; he came into the game in place of Diego Bejarano around the hour, and was praised for his performance by manager Gustavo Costas.[9]
Cuéllar was named in the 29-man preliminary squad for the 2024 Copa América in the United States.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ Caero Rodríguez, Gabriel (12 February 2023). "Universitario de Vinto salva un punto en casa ante Oriente Petrolero" [Universitario de Vinto snatch a point at home against Oriente Petrolero]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Caero Rodríguez, Gabriel (13 June 2023). "Cuéllar pasa a Always Ready y se espera un trueque para reforzar la "U"" [Cuéllar heads to Always Ready and a makeweight is waiting to bolster the "U"]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Apaza, Paulo (25 June 2023). "Always Ready venció a Blooming (2-0), con goles de Cuéllar y Robles" [Always Ready beat Blooming (2-0) with goals from Cuéllar and Robles]. La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "En gran reacción Always Ready vence a Aurora" [With a great comeback Always Ready beat Aurora]. Ahora El Pueblo (in Spanish). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Torrez Clavijo, Samuel (26 April 2024). "Héctor Cuéllar, la pieza clave ante equipos peruanos" [Héctor Cuéllar, the key against Peruvian teams] (in Spanish). Late!. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Always Ready golea a Defensa y Justicia y es puntero de su grupo" [Always Ready thrash Defensa y Justicia and top their group]. El Diario (in Spanish). 8 May 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Cuéllar, Rojas y Abrego son las novedades en el once" [Cuéllar, Rojas and Abrego are the new faces in the starting XI]. El Diario (in Spanish). 27 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Panameño Kaiser Lenis castiga a Bolivia en Cochabamba" [Panamanian Kaiser Lenis punishes Bolivia in Cochabamba] (in Spanish). Panamá América. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Apaza, Paulo (9 September 2023). "DT Costas mira con buenos ojos a Víctor Ábrego y Héctor Cuéllar" [Manager Costas looks at Víctor Ábrego and Héctor Cuéllar with good eyes]. La Razon (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "El brasileño Zago anuncia la nómina de Bolivia para la Copa América con siete 'foráneos'" [Brazilian Zago announces Bolivia's preliminary squad for the Copa América with seven 'foreigners'] (in Spanish). SWI swissinfo. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
External links[edit]
- Héctor Cuéllar at National-Football-Teams.com
- Héctor Cuéllar at WorldFootball.net