The success of Luis Cubilla: A soccer legend remembered

Luis Cubilla, a widely recognized player (three-time World Cup player with the national team) and multiple international champion with Peñarol and Nacional, was the driving force behind Olimpia's successes in both the continent and the world.

The "Negro" took over as the head coach of Olimpia in 1978, and in his first season, he led the team to their first Libertadores title for the club (defeating Boca Juniors 2-0), breaking Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay's dominance in the tournament. He repeated this achievement in 1990 by defeating Barcelona from Ecuador (3-1 aggregate).

Under Cubilla's guidance, Olimpia also won the Intercontinental Cup and the Interamerican Cup in 1980, as well as the South American Recopa in 1990 and 2003. In the domestic league, he was a champion in multiple seasons, and it is worth mentioning that he coached both of Paraguay's biggest clubs: Olimpia and Cerro Porteño.

With the phrase "I come to be the champion of America," the Maestro marked a before and after in Paraguayan sports.

ANEDOTES:

NO GREEN. Luis Cubilla had a phobia of the color green. Francisco Paco Esteche recalls: "We had to play a final with Olimpia back in '98-'99, and on the way to the Villa, a green bus showed up. Since he didn't like that color for some reason, maybe as a superstition, he immediately stopped the bus and refused to get on. We had to call 4 or 5 taxis to go to the stadium. And then, we won that final. It's something that we remember for the way it happened."

NIGHT OF FEAR. During the Olimpia 1-2 Corinthians match on March 24, 1999, in the Copa Libertadores, Luis Cubilla left the game during halftime due to a blackout at the Defensores stadium. A few blocks away, the March Paraguayan Massacre was taking place, which is why the "Negro" didn't appear for the second half.

HEADLINE QUOTE. "The university for the poor is football," taught Negro Cubilla. For the Maestro, commitment and sacrifice were always the keys to success.