Cuba has been, in the broad spectrum of sporting disciplines, a true hotbed of great athletes throughout history. In this archipelago, brilliant baseball, boxing, athletics, volleyball and wrestling stars have seen the light.
However, for reasons in which historical, political and cultural circumstances converge, soccer — a universal sport — has lived most of its history in the shadow of other disciplines in Cuba. However, even as a black sheep, the soccer of this nation has managed to produce, in isolation over time, several players of a considerable level.
So much so, that an ideal eleven of all time could perfectly be picked and successful players would be left out, fueling the debate, as would happen with any purely soccer-loving country.
In this installment we will embark on the mission — suicidal? — of offering an ideal Cuban eleven of all time. But before doing so, it is necessary to clarify several points for a better understanding of the criteria taken into account in the formation of this imaginary alignment.
¿Los conoces? Siete futbolistas de raíces cubanas que juegan con selecciones extranjeras
The first is that this is not an eleven of the Cuban team, but of Cuban players, since several of the best soccer players who have seen the light of day in our country, for one reason or another, played little or nothing with the team. Even, in some cases, they defended the colors of other teams, and that does not mean they stop genuinely representing our soccer. Therefore, the contribution to our national teams will be valued, but will not be definitive.
Related Posts
Only players born on the island will be taken into account. Although we know that FIFA recognizes the nationality of a player’s parents and grandparents as valid, this criterion would detract from the credibility of the selection. Imagine Javi Martínez, world champion with Spain, suddenly appearing in an eleven of Cuban players, just because his grandparents were born here. It wouldn’t be serious.
And last but not least, it must be understood that it is practically impossible to escape time bias. So, perhaps for those who have lived longer, my choice may seem a bit modernist in some areas.
Goalkeeper
We will start early with the controversy. For goalkeepers I will choose Mario Inchausti, born in Santa Clara and who — between 1934 and 1942 — defended the goal of prestigious Spanish and world soccer institutions such as Real Zaragoza, Real Betis and Real Madrid.
While it is true that this criterion — the glamor of his teams — may be unfair to the great goalkeepers of our country who did not have the opportunity to reach professional soccer, these choices must be based on objective reality and not on what could have been.
Defenders
The left defender with the greatest international significance in the history of our soccer has been Jorge Luis Corrales, born in Pinar del Rio. Still active, he has had a long career at the club level in United States soccer. In his prime, he even reached the MLS, where he defended the colors of the Chicago Fire and Montreal Impact, coinciding with world-class figures such as Bastian Schwensteiger, Bojan Krkic and Thierry Henry (the latter as coach).
Of course, those who think that Antonio Garcés or Silvio Pedro Miñoso could have been chosen in this position due to the impact of both on our national teams are right, but we must remember that Corrales can also boast of that. The man from Pinar del Río was the starting left defender of the Cuban team that won the 2012 Caribbean Cup, the only official title for the senior team.
The duo in the center of the defense would be made up of Jorge Romo and Jeniel Márquez. The first of them has been the only soccer player born in Cuba who has played in two major World Cups. The son of Mexicans, Romo defended the national team of his parents in the 1954 and 1958 World Cups.
For his part, Jeniel Márquez is the Cuban soccer player with the most international matches at the national team level (124), being a generational reference at the beginning of this century. His time in our national teams spanned 15 years, in which he played in five World Cup Qualifiers, six Caribbean Cups and seven editions of the Gold Cup. In this last competition, he is the only Cuban soccer player who was present on all three occasions that managed to overcome the group stage: 2003, 2013 and 2015.
At club level, Márquez was a five-time national champion with Villa Clara and on two other occasions champion of the Antigua and Barbuda Premier League with Hoppers FC. Despite being a defensive player, he was the National Soccer League’s leading scorer in 2013 and was awarded Soccer Player of the Year in 2014.
¿Qué fue de los futbolistas que ganaron el único título de la selección cubana?
On the right defense I would place Andy Baquero. This decision, however modernist it may seem, is based on several key arguments. Baquero played in the 2013 U-20 World Cup and then, in 2016, he attended the summer futsal event held in Colombia; thus becoming one of the 16 players who in the history of this sport have competed in World Cups in these two modalities.
In addition, he was a starting player for the team that won the bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz in 2014. And we must also take into account that, unlike his competitors in this position, Baquero has had experience in professional soccer with Delfines del Este in the Dominican Soccer League and with Valor FC, in the Canadian Premier League.
Midfielders
In the center of the field there would not be much room for debate. Osvaldo Alonso would be there. For many, the best Cuban soccer player so far this century, with a solid career of 15 seasons in the MLS, in which he won the first league title in the history of the Seattle Sounders in 2016, being captain and figure; rounding out his record with four U.S. Open Cup titles and one Supporters Shield Cup title.
At an individual level, the Cuban soccer player was invited four times to the All-Star Game held every year by the MLS, he was in the competition’s ideal eleven in 2012 and was included in the ideal eleven of the first decade of this century in the MLS.
Accompanying Ozzie in the midfield, in more offensive roles, would be Francisco Martín Arencibia. Born in Alquízar, he had a career in Spanish soccer during the decades of the 1930s and 1940s, standing out above all during his time at Atlético de Madrid, where he played nine seasons, winning two League titles and a Super Cup. In addition, he was international with the Spanish team on a couple of occasions.
On the left wing, serving as a winger, would be Onel Hernández: a Norwich City player who in 2019 became the first Cuban soccer player in the Premier League. Onel also has a sustained career of several years in the British Championship, considered the best second division in the world. Likewise, he played several seasons with Eintracht Braunschweig in the Bundesliga 2.
On the right wing would be Jesús Alonso. “Chús” is considered by a large sector of the fans and specialized press as the best Cuban soccer player of all time. Born in Havana, he emigrated to Spain with his family at an early age. In that country he had a successful career, playing for Real Madrid for nine seasons between 1939 and 1948.
Considered one of the first legends of the white club, he is above all remembered for scoring the first goal in the history of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He also played for Real Oviedo, Real Valladolid and Real Zaragoza. At the international level, he played three games for the Spanish soccer team in 1942.
Los cinco futbolistas cubanos que jugaron para selecciones extranjeras
Forwards
As a forward, the legendary Jorge Massó could not be missing, the greatest reference in Cuban soccer worldwide during the 1970s and early 1980s, a period in which two gold medals and a bronze were won in the Central American and Caribbean Games; as well as a silver and a bronze in the Pan American Games. In addition, he participated in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games, reaching the quarterfinals at the summer event in Moscow.
Those who saw him on the field describe him as a ball artist, a highly skilled and improvising player. His fame transcended the borders of Cuba and professional clubs from Mexico, Hungary, the United States, Chile and Costa Rica tried without success to reach an agreement to sign him. Such was his connotation that he was even invited to Pelé’s farewell match, which the Cuban sports authorities did not allow him to attend.
As a center forward, I would select Juan Tuñas, the leading figure of the Cuban team that attended what to date is its only participation in a senior World Cup. In the world event held in France in 1938, “El Romperredes” scored a goal in three games, helping the team reach the quarterfinals.
At a time when soccer in Cuba was professional, Tuñas played for Juventud Asturiana and Centro Gallego, winning a national title with the former. After the World Cup, he signed in Mexican soccer with Real Club España, winning two league titles in 1942 and 1945.
Author
Alexander Ramírez Tápanes
