A few years ago, well before the Peruvian team’s return to a World Cup, the ranks of the “Bicolor” featured players whose important careers at international level delighted fans heading to Brazil 2014. Claudio Pizarro, Paul GuerreroJefferson Farfan and Juan Vargas formed the so-called group of the ‘fantastic 4’who started the qualification well, but in the end did not reach the desired goal and soon fell into oblivion.
Although in the Blanquirroja the company of this quartet did not work, on an individual level they did better with their clubs. Each of them, in their own way, has left their mark on the various European football tournaments they have participated in, including the Champions League, which recently dedicated a special publication to them.
“Talent and goals from Peru,” wrote the official report in Spanish on the competition, which also invited its supporters to comment on which of them they consider their favorite Peruvian player in the competition.
Pizzarro, Farfán, Guerrero and Vargas scored goals in the Champions League. Photo: Shot by @LigadeCampeones/TWITTER
Personal opinions notwithstanding, ‘Pizza’ has been one of the four most successful Champions League players since he was crowned champion in the 2012/13 season, scoring 24 goals in all his appearances. La ‘Foquita’ reached the semi-finals twice (2004-05 and 2010-11) with a total of 12 goals. The “Loco” reached the round of 16 with two goals and the “Predator” also made it into the quarterfinals with only two goals.
How did the nickname “Fantastic 4” come about?
The four players enjoyed an enviable presence in the early 2010s: Pizarro was top scorer at Werder Bremen, Farfán excelled at Schalke 04, Guerrero was a starting XI for Hamburg and Vargas was considered one of the best full-backs in the Bundesliga world thanks to his performances at Fiorentina. Because of this, the nickname “Fantastic 4” has been widely used among the sports media and fans.
What happened to the Peru team’s ‘Fantastic 4’?
Regarding his place in the national team, while Ricardo Gareca called up all four in his first few years at the helm of the team, he soon set aside Claudio Pizarro and Juan Vargas, while only Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfán were considered until the end of the trail Russia 2018 and played this edition of the World Cup.
The so-called “Fantastic 4” excelled with their clubs, but did not work at national team level. Photo: FPF
As for clubs, Guerrero is the only one active as a forward for Racing Club de Argentina to date. Pizarro retired from Germany at Werder Bremen in 2020 (he would have his farewell game in 2022), while Farfán did the same in December 2022 after becoming a two-time champion with Alianza. For his part, Vargas never made an official announcement to announce his departure; However, he hasn’t played since 2018 when he was part of Universitario.