Cueva plays injured: the ligament tear he has been suffering since March and why he is not undergoing surgery.

Furthermore, Christian Cueva is no longer part of the Peruvian national team and has missed the start of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 North American World Cup. Of course, his absence has been deeply felt by the national team. And the reason is that Christofer Gonzales, the player that Juan Reynoso used as a '10', has not lived up to expectations. Peru has lacked a player with his inventiveness, his skill with the ball, his vision of the game, and, of course, his pinpoint pass to score, against Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, respectively.

It has not been a positive sporting period for 'Aladino' Cueva lately. But he could not forget to play football either. Something has been affecting his performance on the field, he and those closest to him knew the reason, and from now on the fans will be able to know the truth.

Why is Cueva underperforming in Alianza Lima?

Depor was able to learn that Christian Cueva is suffering from a knee injury. And it is not a simple one. It is a posterior cruciate ligament tear, which dates back to his first appearance as a starting player against Atlético Grau on March 26th (seven months ago) at the Municipal de Bernal stadium, when Alianza Lima won 2-1 with goals from Gabriel Costa and Franco Zanelatto.

'Aladino' lasted only 20 minutes on the field because he got injured after a strong collision with Atlético Grau player Jeremy Rostaing. The midfielder has been carrying the injury and does not consider having surgery at least for now, as he wants to continue supporting the blanquiazules in their search for a three-peat. Moreover, this Sunday, against Deportivo Garcilaso, he hopes to contribute for the club if the coach Mauricio Larriera continues to consider him in his plans.

Cueva's future

It should be noted that the player wants to renew his contract with the club. Although he has felt the rejection of a sector of the fans, he has also received support. His contract with the institution of La Victoria ends in November of this year - he renewed it in September after the initial six-month agreement - and he hopes to convince everyone that his commitment is with the club through his performances in the final stretch of the Clausura Tournament and the Playoffs.

It is worth remembering that Cueva committed a disciplinary infraction earlier this year and apologized to the blanquiazul family for it. When renewing his contract, the club significantly reduced his salary and he accepted all the terms. Today, his desire is to become a three-time champion with Alianza and support the blanquirroja in the qualifiers.

It is worth mentioning that in January of this year, Boca Juniors, through their sporting director, former player Juan Román Riquelme, showed a lot of interest in his game and even had contact with him in the search for a creative midfielder with his experience for the 'Xeneize' team. Although nothing came out of it and his signing did not materialize, the contact remains and it will depend solely on 'Aladino' to refresh this great possibility that football can offer him by joining one of the most important institutions in South America such as Boca, where his fellow Peruvian national team player Luis Advíncula plays.