Hugo Sotil


Hugo Alejandro Sotil Yerén is a Peruvian former professional football player. Nicknamed El Cholo, he played as a striker or midfielder. Together with Teófilo Cubillas and Héctor Chumpitaz, he was one of Peru's most recognized football players of the 1970s. He also was a popular player in Peru, and a biopic on his life was released in that decade.
He was part of the Peruvian squad that won the Copa América 1975. He also played for Peru at the 1970 and 1978 FIFA World Cups. He won the 1973–74 La Liga title with FC Barcelona, with Johan Cruyff as a teammate.

Club career

CD Municipal

In 1968, Sotil made his debut at the professional level for Municipal in the Peruvian Second Division, which he helped to obtain promotion to the First Division that year.
Sotil also played and scored the opening goal in an all-star match between Europe and South America in 1973 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Soccer greats such as Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Roberto Rivelino and Teófilo Cubillas took part in that game. The game finished 4–4 and in Penalty kicks, South America won 7–6.

FC Barcelona

In 1973, he was transferred to FC Barcelona of Spain, where he was teammate of the stars Johan Cruyff, Juan Manuel Asensi and Carles Rexach, among others. He was the club's striker, holding the number ten shirt. He made his debut for Barça on 22 August, winning the Joan Gamper Trophy after beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 4–2 in penalties, with Sotil scoring the opening goal.
In the 1973–1974 season, Barcelona won the Spanish League after 14 trophyless seasons. Sotil was part of the team which demolished Real Madrid 5–0 in the Spanish League game played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where he scored the fifth goal. On 21 Aug 1974 Sotil won his second Gamper Trophy after a 4–1 victory against Rangers F.C.. By then, he was one of the Spanish League's most recognized football players.
Barcelona's hiring of Dutchman Johan Neeskens, who took a foreigner slot, resulted in his relegation from the first team in the 1974–1975 season. FC Barcelona occupied third place, and Catalan people demanded the return of Sotil to the team first for 1975–1976 season.
He stayed with FC Barcelona for three seasons, played 111 games, and scored 33 goals.

Alianza Lima

In 1977, he returned to Peru and played for Alianza Lima, Sotil had a brief resurgence in form that lasted for two seasons, showing that, although he had lost some of his pace, he retained his skills. He helped the team to win the 1977 and 1978 titles leaving a trail of 23 goals in 48 matches and a good 1978 Copa Libertadores.

Independiente Medellín

In 1979, Sotil went to Colombia, where he did not perform well. Constantly in and out of the lineup and only able to score 8 goals in 33 matches Sotil considered retiring from football.

CD Municipal

But Sotil decided he would make one final push going back to Municipal and playing there until 1982, and returning briefly to football in 1984, playing for Espartanos, a small provincial team. He currently works in Peru training youngsters.

International career

Summary

Sotil made his debut for the Peru national football team on 4 February 1970, in a friendly game against Bulgaria at Lima, he scored a hat-trick for Peru in a 5–3 win. He made a total of 62 appearances for Peru between 1970 and 1978, scoring 18 goals,.

1970 FIFA World Cup: Quarter Finals

He was part of the Peru national football team in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and although he was used most often as a substitute in the tournament, he was still able to play in a 3–2 win against Bulgaria, a 1–0 win against Morocco and a 1–3 loss to West Germany. He was also in the quarterfinal loss against eventual champions Brazil by 2–4. Sotil is also much remembered for his assists, as he helped teammate Teófilo Cubillas to capture the Bronze Boot.

Copa America 1975: Champion

Sotil won the 1975 Copa América, playing only in the final game since his club did not allow him to travel often. Sotil arrived in Caracas, where the final was played, and he went immediately from the airport to the soccer stadium arriving when all his teammates were warming up. In that game, against Colombia, Sotil scored the only goal, giving Peru its second title as South American champions.

1978 FIFA World Cup: Second Round

finished first in the South American qualifying subgroup for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification after draws with Ecuador, 1–1, and Chile, 1–1, in the first leg and wins by 4–0 against Ecuador a victory against Chile 2–0 in the second leg, with Sotil scoring one and assisting the other to Juan Carlos Oblitas.
At the 1978 FIFA World Cup Sotil appeared in two out of three group stage matches. His first start of the competition was a 3–1 win over Scotland, on 3 June. After a draw with the Netherlands, 0–0, and a win over Iran 4–1, Peru pushed the Netherlands into second place in Group 4. Expectations were high for Peru, however, with 3 losses, Peru finished at the bottom of their group went out in the second round. Sotil failed to score in the tournament.
He became famous for his great passing qualities and excellent dribbling, but allegedly various personal problems curtailed his playing career.

Career statistics

Honors

Club

FC Barcelona