Of the Peruvian soccer Up until the World Cup, family games, both teammates and rivals, are not as rare as one might think. In Peru we find emblematic cases such as that of the brothers José and Jorge Soto, the twins Minzum and Nelinho Quina, but also less media cases such as Luis Román and Luis Rodolfo Ojeda and others. However, in the case of parents and children, they are most commonly found in players whose father has already retired from the pitches.
At the level of world football, Rivaldo and his son Rivaldinho are among the most notorious, with the Brazilian star notably returning to the pitches to fulfill a dream of playing with him. Another very strange player is Iceland’s Eidur Gudjonhsen, who was replaced by his son Arnos in a game with his team. However, if we only talk about Peruvian football, the number of cases reduces to just two.
Juan Carlos and Alonso Bazalar in Cienciano
The best known of the two is undoubtedly that of Juan Carlos and Alonso Bazalar. “Juanca” was a player in the Peruvian national team several times and is considered the champion of the Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa Sudamericana with Cienciano. In recent years he has gained prominence as a coach at the Copa Peru, a tournament he won three times. His son Alonso, on the other hand, belonged to the “Jotitas” generation.
Alonso Bazalar made his professional debut on May 26, 2008 in Cienciano’s 3-2 win over Juan Aurich on the 21st date of the Apertura. 21 years apart, his father stood next to him in the front row of “Dad”. The young midfielder – still under 20 at the time – made eight appearances that season but never saw his father again. Juan Carlos Bazalar retired at the age of 40 at the end of the championship.
Alonso Bazalar last played for Sport Loreto in the first division in 2015. In 2017 he was in Aurich, but he did not make his debut. Photo: GLR archives
Jorge Huaman and Paolo Huaman in Sport Boys
The other case of father and son playing together in Peruvian football is that of the remembered Jorge Huamán and his son Paolo. “Chino” is one of the favorite players of the Sport Boys fans, a team that has defended for ten seasons and in very difficult times for the institution. Huamán also played some games with the Peru national team and in the Greek Super League. Paolo, his “heir”, made his debut with the rosé wines in 2015 at the age of 17.
On the penultimate day of this year’s second division, Jorge Huamán fulfilled his dream of officially playing with Paolo. On October 18, the boys lost 1-0 to Willy Serrato, but “Chino” had fond memories of his son’s recording. Since he also plays at right-back, he left that position and switched to central defender. As in the previous case, the Huamán are 21 years apart, but they managed to play six games together.
Jorge Huamán retired from professional football in 2016. Photo: Sports Boys