Pedro Troglio, former coach of Universitario de Deportes, promoted 15 players from the youth teams for the 2018 preseason. In the Noche Crema against Independiente Medellin, the Argentine coach made a 19-year-old youth player debut, who dazzled on the field of the Estadio Monumental with his commitment, explosiveness, change of pace, and dribbling. "I'm happy with his performance", declared Troglio.
After that night, the footballer did not show that level again in the 39 official matches he played with Noche Crema. For the 2021 season with Angel Comizzo, 'U' decided not to renew his contract and reinforced Atlético Grau, a team with which he achieved promotion to Liga 1 2022. Who are we talking about? We are talking about Paulo de la Cruz, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder.
YOU CAN SEE: He was part of Universitario, signed for a club in the north, and now fights for the Clausura Tournament
The day Paulo de la Cruz revealed that he copied the game of Ronaldinho and Messi
After Universitario's elimination in the Copa Libertadores 2018, Paulo de la Cruz made headlines in the press and confessed that he was a fan of Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. The player trained in the youth teams of 'U' also revealed that he tried to copy the game of both former Barcelona stars. "The truth is that I copy Ronaldinho and Messi, I'm a fan of them", he confessed to the press that was at Campo Mar.
Ruidiaz and the time he supported Paulo de la Cruz
During Universitario's preseason at Campo Mar in 2018, Raul Ruidiaz highlighted Paulo de la Cruz on Instagram: "What a good player", he wrote. Asked about the compliments from Ruidiaz, De la Cruz explained how they met. "Raul knows me from a friendly match we played in the youth teams of Universitario de Deportes. In a practice match, I played alongside his brother when they combined categories. After my debut, he congratulated me", he explained.
What happened to Paulo de la Cruz?
Paulo de la Cruz plays for Atlético Grau de Piura, the leader of the Clausura Tournament 2022. The 22-year-old footballer has scored two goals and provided two assists in the season. He has a contract until the end of the year.
When is Paulo de la Cruz worth?
Paulo de la Cruz has a market value of 300 thousand euros, according to Transfermarkt. However, his highest price was 400 thousand euros in 2020 when he played for Universitario de Deportes.