Peruvian great Teófilo ‘Nene’ Cubillas is set to receive one of the highest honours a footballer can earn on Tuesday 10 November, when he is inducted into the International Football Hall of Fame. The ceremony for the 15th Generation takes place in Pachuca, Mexico, where Cubillas will be recognised in the Decano Nacional category, alongside Sócrates, Thierry Henry, Bebeto and Miroslav Klose.
Cubillas will not be alone on the night. He is travelling with Jaime Duarte, a former defender who played alongside him at Alianza Lima and for the Peru national team, and who is one of his closest friends.
A friend by his side
Cubillas personally invited Duarte to attend the event. Speaking from Pachuca to the programme Lo Bueno, lo Malo y lo Feo, Duarte described what the moment means to them both. “It is a privilege to be at a moment that is valued so highly, because Teófilo is going to be honoured regardless of the fact that he is a FIFA ambassador, recognised as an elite player,” he said.
Duarte said the invitation had moved him deeply, and he told Cubillas so directly, in front of his sons. Cubillas’s reply, as Duarte recounted it, underlined the bond between the two men. He reminded Duarte that he represented both Alianza Lima, the club of Cubillas’s whole life, and the national team, and said he was happy to have him there.
Those words reflect the two loyalties that run through Cubillas’s career: the blue and white of Alianza Lima and the red and white of Peru. His decision to share this occasion with Duarte shows how much he values the friendships formed on the pitch.
A class of legends
The 15th Generation brings together players who dominated different decades and came from different parts of the world. Sócrates, the doctor and captain of the Brazil side of the 1980s, is remembered as much for his political views as for his football. Thierry Henry, France’s all-time leading scorer, won acclaim at Arsenal and Barcelona. Bebeto was a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1994, and Miroslav Klose holds the record for most goals at the World Cup with 16.
Cubillas enters the Decano Nacional category, which recognises players whose influence extends beyond their own country. He scored 10 goals across two World Cups, in 1970 and 1978, a tally that for years placed him among the tournament’s leading scorers. His spells in Europe, North America and South America widened his international profile.
The ceremony takes place in Pachuca, which is regarded as the birthplace of football in Mexico, adding further symbolic weight to the occasion.
A tribute after a difficult period
The honour comes at a delicate time for Cubillas, who has been dealing with a health setback in recent weeks. His presence in Mexico is therefore more than a sporting tribute, and the trip is also a sign of his recovery and renewed energy.
Now 75 and born in Lima, Cubillas has collected recognitions spanning his role in Peru’s quarter-final run at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico to his current work as a FIFA ambassador. His elegant, technical and effective style made him a reference point for later generations.
On Tuesday, with Jaime Duarte at his side and surrounded by the other members of his generation, Cubillas will take his place in the Hall of Fame, a place his career built over more than five decades.
Source: www.infobae.com
