Five years ago, Peruvian football received news of a very sad loss. This became known on February 8, 2018 Andres Arroyave, a former Inti Gas and Sport Loreto soccer player, died of colon cancer, which was discovered while playing at Pucallpa. Earlier this year, Arroyave said in an interview that the disease was discovered after an operation for peritonitis in Colombia. In this context, he received strong support from his teammates, the club, his family, friends and from Peru in general. Unfortunately, he did not manage to overcome the difficult situation.
However, the fond memories of Andrés Arroyave live on among those who enjoyed him as fans of Peruvian football and, more particularly, of today’s Ayacucho FC. At just 22, he came on as a reinforcement for the 2013 season and it didn’t take long for him to catch the attention of the other midfielders. There was a time when even Alianza Lima’s interest was rumored. That’s why we’re honoring the memory of the talented Colombian player on his birthday.
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Who was Andres Arroyave?
Andrés Felipe Arroyave Cartagena was born on June 9, 1990 in La Virginia, Colombia. He excelled above all in his one-on-one skills, which he demonstrated as a winger and striker. He made his professional debut on December 13, 2009 for Deportivo Pereira when he got into the second half of the semi-final home game of the finalizing tournament on day 6 of the 2-2 draw against Independiente Medellín.
At the age of 19, he began enjoying continuity at Pereira in the 2010 season. He was more of a substitute the following year, playing in La Liga in 2012 due to the team’s relegation. In those three seasons, Arroyave only scored three goals (one in the first and two in the second), so that wasn’t exactly his forte. However, what awaited him on his first trip abroad would be a pleasant surprise for his sports career.
Andrés Arroyave celebrates his goal against Alianza Lima in Callao. Photo: GLR archives
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Andrés Arroyave and his journey through Ayacucho
Andrés Arroyave joined Peruvian football as a brand new reinforcement from Inti Gas for the Copa Sudamericana and the Decentralized. César Tabares, the Foxes coach at the time, knew him from his days in the smaller divisions of Deportivo Pereira and didn’t hesitate to include him in his team. Édgar Ospina’s former assistant left the club on Day 9 but Arroyave, managed by Rolando Chilavert, remained at a good level throughout the season.
The winger averaged 1,685 minutes in 27 games for the local tournament in 2013. He also made several appearances on the wing, but ended up up front alongside Brazilian Fernando Oliveira. With six goals, he achieved the best individual score of his short career. He didn’t appear often in the leagues, although thanks to his regularity he had already shown his agility and dribbling skills.
Several of Andrés Arroyave’s former teammates and all the players of Ayacucho and Sport Huancayo in general showed their support for “Rayo”. Photo: GLR archives
The Colombian was Inti Gas’ best signing of 2013 and one of the characters alongside Mario Villasantti, forward Oliveira and Julio Landauri. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to produce the same performance in 2014 and was mainly brought on as a second-half substitute. Tabares, who brought him to Peru, brought him to Sport Loreto in 2015 at the start of the season, but he never officially debuted at the Dean due to illness.