Hugo Sotil

Hugo Alejandro Sotil Yerén (18 May 1949 – 30 December 2024) was a Peruvian professional footballer. 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 a member of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América and reached the quarterfinals in Mexico 1970 and Argentina 1978.

Sotil made his professional debut in 1967, standing out with Deportivo Municipal and became one of the most popular players in Peru. In 1973 he gained international fame by signing for FC Barcelona forming a historic attacking duo with the Dutch star Johan Cruyff winning the Spanish Primera División in his first season after 14 years of drought for the Catalan club. He became the first Latin American player to wear the "10" for FC Barcelona. Carrying the number 10 on his back in addition to getting two league runners-up and one in the Copa del Rey after four seasons with the Barça shirt. In 1977 he returned to Peru and became two-time national champion with Alianza Lima in 1977 and 1978.

In 1973 he joined the starting team of the America national team that faced the Europe team of Johan Cruyff, Eusébio and Giacinto Facchetti. The match ended 4–4, and Sotil scored the third goal for his team, then in a penalty shootout the American team won 7–6. That night he played alongside other South American figures such as Rivellino, Fernando Morena, Miguel Brindisi, Víctor Espárrago, Teófilo Cubillas and others.

He was international with the Peruvian team, with which he played two editions of the FIFA World Cup: those of 1970 and 1978, where he reached the quarterfinals in both World Cups. On a continental level, he won the Copa América in 1975, where he scored the only goal of the final match against Colombia, giving the Inca team the title of Champions of America.

In 1972, Sotil starred in the film Cholo, directed by Bernardo Batievsky.

Club career

Deportivo Municipal In 1968, Sotil made his debut at the professional level for Deportivo Municipal in the Peruvian Segunda División, which he helped to obtain promotion to the Peruvian Primera División 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. Football greats such as Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Rivellino and Teófilo Cubillas took part in that game. The game finished 4–4 and in penalty kicks, South America won 7–6.

Barcelona

In 1973, Sotil moved 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 (2–2 in normal time), with Sotil scoring the opening goal.

In the 1973–74 season, Barcelona won the Spanish Primera División 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 August 1974, Sotil won his second Joan Gamper Trophy after a 4–1 victory against Rangers. By then, he was one of the Spanish League's most recognized players

Barcelona's hiring of Dutchman Johan Neeskens, who took a foreigner slot, resulted in his relegation from the first team in the 1974–75 season. Barcelona occupied third place, and Catalan people demanded the return of Sotil to the team first for 1975–76 season.

He stayed with Barcelona for three seasons (1973 to 1976), played 113 games, and scored 36 goals.

1970 FIFA World Cup: Quarter Finals Sotil was part of the Peru national 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 3–0 win against Morocco and a 3–1 loss to West Germany. He was also in the quarterfinal loss against eventual champions Brazil by 4–2. 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 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 Peru 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 three losses, Peru finished at the bottom of their group went out in the second round. Sotil failed to score in the tournament.

Death On 20 December 2024, Sotil was hospitalized in Lima under intensive care after experiencing septic shock due to multiple organ failure. He died ten days later, on 30 December, from kidney and liver failure. Sotil was 75.

Career statistics

Honours Barcelona Spanish Primera División: 1973–74; runner-up 1975–76 Joan Gamper Trophy: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 Copa del Rey runner-up: 1973–74

Alianza Lima Peruvian Primera División: 1977, 1978 Metropolitan Championship: 1978

Deportivo Municipal Peruvian Segunda División: 1968 Peruvian Primera División runner-up: 1981

Los Espartanos Copa Perú: 1984

Peru Copa América: 1975

Individual Peruvian Footballer of the Year: 1973 CONMEBOL XI All-Star Team: 1973 Peruvian Footballer of the Year: 1974 Named one of the Great Stars of the World Cup History: 2006 Peruvian Segunda División top goalscorer (14 goals): 1968