"A legend in South American football" for the New York Times, he has been Peru's most important football player for two decades.[4] Forging his career in Germany, Guerrero started at giants Bayern Munich, before making his name at Hamburger SV, scoring 47 goals across eight Bundesliga seasons. His greatest successes came in Brazil, where he scored the winning goal of the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup final for Corinthians.
With 39 goals in 123 matches for Peru since debuting at 20, Guerrero holds the honour of being the highest goalscorer for his national team. He has represented them at six Copas América and one World Cup. He led them to third place in the 2011 and 2015 Copas, and to runners-up in 2019, finishing as top scorer in all three of these tournaments.[5] He is also the top scoring active player in the Copa América. He was one of 59 nominees for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Peruvian to receive that recognition.[6] He's also the oldest Peruvian player to appear in a World Cup, at the age of 34 and 177 days and the oldest to appear in the.
In 2021, the IFFHS included Guerrero in their best South American team of the last decade, being recognized as the best South American center forward between 2010 and 2020 (joining the podium with Neymar and Sergio Agüero).[7]
In addition, he was voted the "best centre forward in America" in 2012 and 2017 by the newspaper El País, based on the opinion of some two hundred journalists from the region. He has also been named included by CONMEBOL in the teams of the tournament for the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Copas América.
Club career
Early career
Guerrero was born in Lima, starting his football career in the youth teams of Alianza Lima. In 2003, he signed a contract with Bavarian giants Bayern Munich. During the 2003–04 season, Guerrero played in the Regionalliga Süd where he scored 21 goals in 23 games. During the 2004–05 season, he joined fellow countryman Claudio Pizarro as a member of the Bayern first team.
Hamburger SV
Guerrero with Hamburger SV in 2008
In June 2006, it was announced that Guerrero had transferred to Hamburger SV and signed a contract with the club through 2010.[8] His first season was marred by an injury, which took away half his season, and his low productivity, being a sub most of the season. Near the end, he did score three goals, making his season total 5 goals in 20 games. One of these goals was against former club Bayern Munich in a 1–2 victory which left Bayern with no possibilities of making it to the UEFA Champions League. In the 2007–08 season, his second at Hamburg, Guerrero played 29 of 34 games in the Bundesliga, scoring nine goals and getting four assists, as well as becoming an undisputed starter and a vital part of the side; he was the third top scorer, behind Rafael van der Vaart (12 goals) and Ivica Olić (14 goals). In the UEFA Cup and qualification, he played nine games, scoring five goals and getting three assists. His first hat-trick in his professional career was against Karlsruher SC, in the last game of the Bundesliga, scoring the second, third, and fourth goals in a 7–0 victory. This victory secured them fourth place and a UEFA Cup spot for next season.
By the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Guerrero had become first choice striker for Hamburger SV. Coach Martin Jol even went as far as saying that Guerrero better not catch even a cold during the season. Guerrero was fined a club record (somewhere in the region of €50,000–100,000), in April 2010 for an incident at the end of a league game with Hannover 96, where after apparently having been abused by a Hamburg fan, Guerrero threw his drink bottle into the crowd, striking that fan in the face.[9] The German Football Association (DFB) suspended Guerrero for five league games and fined him €20,000.[10]
Corinthians
Guerrero for Corinthians against Chelsea
Guerrero joined Brazilian club Corinthians on 13 July 2012, on a three-year deal for a fee of R$7.5 million.[11] He scored both of their goals in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, once in the semi-finals against Al Ahly SC and the winning goal in the final against Chelsea.[12]
In May 2013, Guerrero became the first Peruvian footballer to appear on the cover of Placar, Brazil's biggest football magazine. The cover featured him as a warrior ("guerrero" is similar to the Portuguese word "guerreiro", both meaning "warrior") fresh out of battle, with blood on his legs, and carrying a Corinthians flag.[13]
In July 2013, Corinthians won the 2013 Recopa Sudamericana, defeating city rivals São Paulo FC 4–1 on aggregate. Guerrero scored in the first leg, a 2–1 away win.[14]
In 2015, Guerrero and Corinthians were not able to reach a deal on the renegotiation of his contract, due to end on 15 July. His last game for Corinthians was against Fluminense on 24 May. Corinthians confirmed his release three days later.[15]
It was announced on 29 May 2015, that Guerrero would join Flamengo after playing for Peru in the Copa América in Chile.[16]
In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Guerrero scored both of Flamengo's goals in a 2–1 semi-final win over Botafogo,[17] and a further goal in the second leg of the final to win 3–1 on aggregate over Fluminense in the Maracanã.[18]
Internacional
On 12 August 2018, Guerrero signed with S.C. Internacional on a three-year contract, after leaving Flamengo on a free transfer.[19] He was given the number 79, to commemorate the last time Inter won the Campeonato Brasileiro.[20] However, days before he was to debut, on 24 August, his FIFA ban was upheld, preventing him from playing his first match until April 2019.
In 2019, Guerrero's number changed from 79 to 9, due to the departure of Leandro Damião. After his ban expired, Guerrero finally made his debut for Inter in the Campeonato Gaúcho against Caxias, on 6 April, scoring in the 2–0 semi-final win. His Copa Libertadores debut came against Palestino of Chile, a match where he scored twice.[21]
On 26 October 2021, Guerrero left Internacional on a "mutual agreement".[22]
In September 2023, Guerrero started playing for LDU Quito. He helped them get to the Copa Sudamericana final and in the semifinals against Defensa y Justicia, he scored 2 goals.
Universidad César Vallejo
In a controversial decision due to Guerrero's age, Roberto Mosquera would sign Guerrero to play for Universidad César Vallejo for the 2024 Liga 1 on 2 February 2024.[27][28] On his debut against Cusco FC, Paolo scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw at home. Guerrero left the club after his mother was targeted for extortion by a local criminal gang.[29] The separation was amicable with club president César Acuña promising the club would fulfil Guerrero's wish.[30]
Alianza Lima
On 1 September 2024, Alianza Lima presented a Guerrero as their new player.[31]
International career
Guerrero's national career began at the 2001 Bolivarian Games where he won gold with the U-17 squad. His career with the senior team began in the unsuccessful 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, but he managed to score twice for the national side. His first goal was the winner against Chile in Lima's Estadio Nacional. It was followed by a first-minute goal in the next match against Ecuador at the same venue, though the Ecuadorians fought back to secure a 2–2 away draw. In the opening game of the 2007 Copa América in Mérida, Venezuela, Guerrero concluded a 3–0 win over Uruguay as Peru went on to reach the quarter-finals.[32]
Guerrero was ruled out of Peru's first two 2010 World Cup qualifying games because of injury. A further blow to Peru was laid down by FIFA when Guerrero was suspended six games for insulting the referee during the match against Uruguay in June 2008.[33] Following Peru's disastrous qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, José del Solar was replaced with Uruguayan manager Sergio Markarián and Guerrero was called up for the 2011 Copa América. In place of an injured Pizarro, Guerrero played as the team's starting striker in the competition and scored five times, making him the tournament's top scorer, one each against Uruguay and Mexico followed by a hat-trick against Venezuela in the third place play-off match which Peru won 4–1.[34]
At the 2015 Copa América held in Chile, Guerrero scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Bolivia in the quarter-final in Temuco.[35] He scored the second goal in Peru's 2–0 win over Paraguay in the third place play-off, thus helping Peru to third place at the Copa América for a second consecutive time and finishing as joint top-goalscorer with Chile's Eduardo Vargas.
Guerrero became the all-time leading goalscorer for Peru on 4 June 2016, after scoring against Haiti in a 1–0 win at the Copa América Centenario.[36]
Guerrero made 17 appearances and scored five goals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, leading the Peru team in their successful World Cup qualifying campaign.[37] On 3 November 2017, it was announced that Guerrero had failed the doping control test after the match against Argentina in the previous month for what was initially reported as a social drug. He received a preemptive 30-day suspension from FIFA, making him miss the World Cup play-off tie against New Zealand, eventually won by Peru.[38]
On 8 December 2017, it was revealed that Guerrero had tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine. As a result, he was banned by FIFA from all competitions for one year, meaning that he would not have been able to participate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[39][40] The ban was reduced on appeal 12 days later.[41][42] Guerrero's lawyers had argued that the failed test had occurred as a result of the consumption of a traditional coca tea, using forensic analysis of the Children of Llullaillaco as evidence.[43]
However, on 14 May 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, extending the ban to 14 months and ruling him out of the tournament. It accepted that Guerrero did not intend to enhance performance but said he was at fault, even if not significantly.[44] Captains of Peru's group-stage competitors, Hugo Lloris (France), Simon Kjaer (Denmark) and Mile Jedinak (Australia) supported Guerrero's appeal and released a letter urging FIFA to lift the ban.[45]
On 3 June 2018, Guerrero made his comeback after a seven-month absence from the national team scoring twice in the 3–0 friendly win against Saudi Arabia.[47]
A 2018 report of investigative journalists of German broadcasting station ARD revealed doping practices in Brazil, involving physician Mohamad Barakat who reportedly treated Guerrero and who had already posed with him many years ago.[48][49]
Guerrero made his World Cup debut on 16 June 2018, coming off the bench in the 1–0 loss to Denmark.[50] On 26 June, he assisted André Carrillo's goal, which was Peru's first World Cup goal in 36 years, and scored the second goal in Peru's 2–0 win over Australia, in the team's final group match, as his side suffered a first-round exit from the competition.[51] At the age of 34 and 177 days, he became the oldest Peruvian player to appear in a FIFA World Cup.[52]
2019 Copa América
In May 2019, Guerrero was included in Ricardo Gareca's final 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil.[53] He scored the opening goal in Peru's second group game of the tournament on 18 June – a 3–1 victory over Bolivia.[54] In the semi-finals against defending champions Chile on 3 July, Guerrero scored the final goal of a 3–0 win, which saw Peru advance to the final of the tournament for the first time since 1975.[55]
In the 2019 Copa América Final against hosts Brazil on 7 July, at the Maracanã Stadium, Guerrero scored the temporary equaliser from the penalty spot in the first half; the match eventually ended in a 3–1 victory to Brazil.[56] Guerrero finished the tournament as the top scorer with 3 goals, alongside Brazil's Everton Soares, who won the Golden Boot Award due to having played fewer minutes than the Peruvian throughout the tournament.[57][58]
Late career
On 11 October 2019, Guerrero made his 100th international appearance for Peru in a friendly match against Uruguay.[59]
Ambassador
Paolo Guerrero has a global partnership with Betsson and is their exclusive Global Casino Ambassador to "further strengthen Betsson’s presence in Latin America and solidifying Betsson as the most exciting brand in the industry."[60]
Guerrero's older brother, Julio Rivera, was also a footballer for the Peru national team who progressed through the Alianza Lima youth system.[63] The brothers were both following in the path of their uncle who had represented Alianza Lima and the Peru national team before them.
His nephew, also named Julio Rivera, was found dead from a robbery in Lima in 2019. Guerrero held his death with sorrow and honor to his late nephew.[67] In 2024, his mother was targeted for extortion by gangs.[68]
^Fogli, Felippe (20 November 2015). "Baita clima de fim de festa". falandodeflamengo.com.br (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
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