Cave and a month without 'chocolate': why is it so dangerous for 'Aladdin' not to accumulate minutes?

What most alarms is that today Cueva cannot sit down to negotiate with any team in the world. The recent TAS resolution obliges him to pay, together with Pachuca from Mexico - to which he arrived in February 2020 - the exorbitant sum of 4.8 million dollars, this because Santos accuses him of breaking his contractual bond arbitrarily and without any reason. If he doesn't pay, the Peruvian won't be able to play professionally. For that reason, Boca Juniors, who was interested in his services in recent weeks, according to the Argentine press, did not advance in the negotiations due to the complexity of his situation. Alianza Lima, meanwhile, was another club that gave up on signing him to avoid future difficulties.

Cueva's recent past is also quite problematic. He left Al Fateh in December, according to himself, due to a debt of more than two months. This, in turn, allowed him to activate his departure due to breach of contract by the club. However, Al Fateh claims that the situation is different and that 'Aladino' received all his payment installments. The club has already threatened to take legal action to preserve its rights. "Since Peru's failure for Qatar 2022, Cueva has been causing many problems in the club, and the decision to terminate the contract is the best for him and our institution," said his coach Georgios Donis, who relegated the Peruvian in the last period: he only played nine games, between August and December of 2022.

Playing and scoring

Doing the math, Cueva went exactly one month without playing an official match, last January 30. His last appearance was with Al Fateh in the 2-0 loss to Al Feiha, for the 11th round of the Saudi league. He played 62 minutes, but went unnoticed. His desire to not continue at the club was already evident, where he felt important again in his career in the last two seasons: he scored 16 goals in 39 games and was a reference for the team, even the captain. Motivation that helped him be key, for example, with Ricardo Gareca's Peru in the last World Cup qualifiers towards Qatar 2022.

But his present is more alarming when it comes to goals. Cueva has gone 11 months without scoring at club level, since the brace he made against Al Ittifaq (4-0 victory) in February of last year, in the previous Saudi league. During that time, he only scored with the national team, in the friendly against El Salvador played in the United States in September. "It helps me gain the necessary confidence, what I want is to give my best to my national team. That's what I've always done. I don't think I should be judged for that," said 'Aladino', who that time scored from the penalty spot, the first time he stood up from twelve yards after his memorable miss against Denmark in Russia 2018.

Alert at Videna

"It worries me that a player goes through circumstances like Christian's. I had the opportunity to talk to him, he is worried, as we all are," said Juan Reynoso about 'Aladino's' present, whom he praised in the last national team friendlies in November, especially in the 1-0 victory over Paraguay: "He gave us a 'show'. Cueva's current situation, added to his inactivity, does not make it seem likely that he will be included in the next call-up by 'Cabezón' for the friendlies against Germany and Morocco in March.

Juan Carlos Oblitas, general director of football at the FPF, also referred to Christian's case. "I am concerned that some players have an uncertain future with regard to the continuity of their careers. I have not spoken to him recently after these problems arose when he returned from Saudi Arabia," admitted 'Ciego'. There is approximately one month left until Reynoso's squad announcement, and as long as Cueva does not solve his future and, above all, does not have competitive rhythm, it will be very difficult for him to wear the '10' of the national team in the European tour.

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