Bernardo Cuesta scored his first goal as a Peruvian in the Copa Libertadores.

Bernardo Cuesta had a complicated start to 2023 as he decided to wait for the completion of his naturalization process in order to play as a Peruvian citizen. That's why he could only wear his shorts after four rounds of the Liga 1 had already started and on the night of April 7, a month after stepping on a field, he scored his first goal of the year, but with a special flavor.

In the 20th minute of his debut in the Copa Libertadores against Olimpia, 'Berni' took a long-distance shot that beat the Paraguayan goalkeeper and sealed the 1-1 draw. This goal is the first one he has scored as a Peruvian player in all ongoing competitions.

This goal was highly celebrated in Arequipa and praised by the official Conmebol Libertadores account, which highlighted that he is the second highest scorer in the Copa Sudamericana, but now he is scoring in the continent's premier club tournament.

Conmebol highlighted Bernardo Cuesta's goal on its social media. Photo: Twitter Conmebol Libertadores

Before becoming a Peruvian citizen, Bernardo Cuesta did not rule out wearing the national team jersey, and now that he has the Peruvian ID, there is no impediment for him to be called up by Juan Reynoso.

This is due to the modification of Article 6, paragraph 1 of FIFA's eligibility rules, which states the following: "A player can be called up by a different national team from the one of his birth as long as he has lived in the country he wants to acquire the nationality from for at least five years." Unlike a few years ago, the word uninterrupted was removed from that rule, so he can be considered by Peru.

With his goal against Olimpia, Bernardo Cuesta has scored 20 goals in Conmebol tournaments only with the 'rojinegro' team, being the third all-time leading scorer of Peruvian teams in South America, only behind Jorge Soto (22) and Oswaldo Ramírez (27).